The Slicer
by a pun or something
Summary: During the height of the Clone Wars, a slicer looking to test his skills finds something dark hiding in the shadows of the senate. Now being hunted by the Sith and the Jedi, he must navigate the murky underworld of intrigue in a game that holds his life in the balance.
1. Chapter 1

OOO

Chapter One.

OOO

Aiden Stari sat in the darkness of his living cube, the only light in the room being cast by the data pad gripped in his sweaty palms.

Wires ran from the data pad to a break in the wall where a panel had been crudely pried off, exposing the internal wiring the slum-hole's holonet access ran off of.

His fingers flew across the screen as lines of code and garbage data scrolled by. His brows knit together, beads of moisture dotted his forehead.

Tonight, he would prove himself among the best.

_Ding._

Lines of gibberish morphed into a video feed from within the Senate Hall.

The corners of his lips pulled back into a grin so wide his cheeks hurt.

He tapped the screen rhythmically, cycling through the feeds. At this time of night the place was emptier than a cantina-rat's wallet, but it didn't matter. He had done it.

He entered the system directory to leave his mark, staying one step ahead of the sentry program that swept through the system every five minutes, and found three signatures already there, mocking him.

_Fourth place. _His shoulders slouched a little. _  
_

He sighed and added his signature after the others, making to leave the system, but as he reached for the wires plugged into the back of his data pad, an idea struck him.

His grin became something more coy, and he punched a few commands into the system.

The Chancellor's private office appeared on the screen, the man himself seated behind his desk, poring over a data pad of his own.

Aiden's brow raised. _Working late, old man._

The Chancellor lifted his head like he heard a noise, and glanced around his office.

Aiden squinted, but didn't see anything.

The Chancellor shook his head and placed his tablet down before standing from the desk and walking over to a small statue in the corner of the room. He placed his hand on the statue's head, brushing his thumb over the burnished metal.

Aiden's face scrunched. Was this about to get weird?_  
_

He removed his hand from the statue, and a section of the office wall retreated, exposing a hidden niche.

Aiden's eyebrows shot to his hairline.

Shelves running the walls of the niche held strange objects in glass boxes. A dark cloak draped from a center hook.

Palpatine took the cloak and wrapped himself in its folds, pulling the hood over his head until his face disappeared in the shadow of its cowl.

Aiden gripped the data pad tighter.

The Chancellor pulled a communicator from his robes, and a few moments later, a figure appeared in the palm of his hand.

Was that... _Dooku_?

An angry buzz tore through the speakers of Aiden's data pad, and he jumped in his seat.

A light on Palpatine's desk began flashing urgently.

Aiden's stomach dropped. The sentry program. He had totally forgotten about it.

Palpatine whipped his head to the light on his desk, and then turned his gaze directly into the security camera.

Yellow eyes locked with blue, and ice poured down Aiden's spine.

He ripped the wires out of his data pad, letting them fall to the ground as 'connection lost' flashed across the display.

A spark flew from where the wires spliced into the exposed holonet lines.

His gut clenched. They would know it was him. He ran the intrusion from his own room like an idiot, and they'd trace it.

He began shoving as much as he could into his backpack.

OOO

The foggy stench of the lower level smacked Aiden in the face as he stepped out onto the streets, pack slung over his shoulder, eyes twitching from left to right.

Across the street, two patrol troopers stood under the glow of a neon twi'lek.

He ducked his head, and slipped into an alley to his right. Urine and refuse hung in the air.

_Palpatine is in bed with Dooku?_ He side-stepped a stumbling rodian. _Forget it. just get out of here._

Trash bins, neon signs, and alien faces passed in a blur as he put distance between himself and his apartment, working his way through alleys and shadows.

He couldn't go back. This was really happening. Palpatine was a rat, and he would send his dogs to sniff him out.

He didn't know when he started running, but he found himself gasping for air. He collapsed against a mass of graffiti and posters, and his legs gave out from under him, knees hitting the sticky ground as he sucked in the musty fog permeating the alley.

What could he do? Where could he go? Palpatine would kill him if he stayed on Coruscant, but getting off planet took money, and he'd have a warrant out on him by then, anyway. The low-lives who could get him out quietly... once you got in bed with them, you weren't allowed to leave. And that was if they didn't cash him in for the bounty.

He dropped his head, and ran a hand through his hair. Why didn't he think to record the video feed? No one would believe a slicer. He needed someone high up to catch Palpatine for themselves, before Palpatine found _him_.

"Dangerous place to be hanging out by yourself, human."

His head snapped up.

Three rodians sauntered down the alley, slimy skin glistening under the dingy light.

His teeth grinded together. He _really_ didn't need this right now. He grabbed the edge of a dumpster and pulled himself up, his touch lingering on an empty glass bottle.

A glint of metal in one of their hands. "Maybe you give us something now, and we'll make sure nothing bad happens."

He cinched the strap of his bag tighter, narrowing his eyes. "I'm not giving you nothing, bug."

Black, speckled eyes glanced at each other, and green hands reached for waistbands.

He snatched the bottle off the dumpster, and launched it hard into the leader's face.

Glass smashed against flesh, shattering into a mosaic of razors carving through bulbous eyes.

The alien screamed and grabbed his face, his lackeys pulling blasters from their belts.

Adrenaline flooded Aiden's veins, and he dove out of the alley, a shot tearing through the air behind him.

"Kill him, you idiots!"

Fire raced through his limbs, his legs pumping faster than they ever had as blaster bolts scorched down the walkway, filling his aching lungs with burned ozone. _I am _not _dying tonight._

Beings screamed and shouted, jumping out of the way or being knocked down.

A shot torched past his head, singeing his hair, and he threw himself into another alley. His heart hammered in his chest, and his skin was ice.

Footsteps thundered down the alley behind him.

He grit his teeth and darted around a corner, his shoes slipping on the layers of grime. Ahead of him, a sky-taxi glimmered on a loading pad.

_There!_

He scrambled to get his footing and sprinted ahead as more blaster shots flew past him, one striking the side of the taxi.

Those standing nearby yelled and dove for cover. A woman concealed under a dark hood spun around and stared.

The driver of the taxi jerked his head down, and smashed his palm on the ignition button.

Aiden lunged forward, stretching for the door handle. "Wait!"

The taxi lifted away, Aiden's fingers grazing the door as it rose into the neon-tinged haze and shot away from the platform. "No!"

"You die now!"

He sucked in a ragged breath and whipped around.

A bolt slammed into his chest.

His back hit the ground. Seared flesh stung his nose. Black dots appeared in his vision, small at first but growing larger.

A snap-hiss echoed in his ears.

The dots swallowed his vision.

OOO

Muffled voices. He was moving. Or was he floating? Someone was touching him. More voices.

He felt cold.

OOO

Light stabbed through the murky darkness, and he pinched his eyes shut tighter, a small moan rumbling in his throat. He felt like a bantha tap-danced on his skull.

He cracked his eyes, blinking away the blur.

A small luminator in the wall beside him sent shards of light piercing through the dark room, making instruments of polished durasteel sparkle like constellations around him.

His brow pinched together. Where in the sands of Tatooine was he?

He dug his elbows into the mattress, pushing himself up, and pain lanced through his chest. He sucked in a breath and collapsed into the sheets again, everything rushing back to him.

_Palpatine._

His heart fluttered. Had the bastard found him? Was this a prison med bay? Those stupid bugs shot him!

He looked around the room. Wherever he was, he needed to get out of here before he got dead.

He grit his teeth and pulled himself up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. The sterile tunic draped over his torso fell open, and the scent of bacta wafted up from his chest.

His nose wrinkled. Where were his clothes?

His bag peaked out from under a chair by the foot of the bed.

He leaned over to grab it, and a sensor attached to his chest tugged against his skin.

He froze. If the sensors came off, someone would come running.

He braced his hands on the mattress, and stretched his leg toward the bag. He hooked his big toe under a strap, and lifted it onto the bed.

_Good thing they took my shoes off._

He pulled the bag into his lap, and opened it up. Everything looked in place. He took his data pad and a short cable, placing them on the bed. He then took a small knife he used for stripping wires, and pried the front panel off the monitor he was attached to, plugging his data pad into it.

He tapped the screen a few times, and the pad chimed a pleasant 'ding'.

His lip curled.

He shoved everything back into his satchel and ripped the sensors from his body, slinging the bag over his shoulder and creeping over to the door.

_Ten to one says a guard's waiting on the other side._

He pressed the door panel, and it hissed open.

A deserted hallway ran from left to right, moonlight filtering through massive windows that reached up as far as he could crane his neck, playing across smooth floors and curving walls.

The upper city of Coruscant stretched out beyond the glass.

He stopped in his tracks, jaw falling open. This was the Jedi Temple.

He pulled out his data pad again, and looked at the time.

_02:37 30th._

Adrenaline flooded his veins. He had been out for _five days_? Palpatine definitely knew who he was by now. If the jedi found him, why wasn't he in a cell? Unless...

Unless Palpatine hadn't issued a warrant for him.

He huffed out a breath. _Of course._ If he got arrested by the police or Jedi, he could talk before the Chancellor's dogs made him disappear. Even if there was no proof, the rat wouldn't want the attention.

No, Palpatine would go through more... _private_ channels.

_Great._ So instead of worrying about patrol troopers, he just had to worry about every random person walking by on the street.

He ran a hand through his hair. Maybe... maybe there was another way. If Mr. Short, Pasty, and Ugly was gonna use the private sector, then maybe _he_ could use the official guys.

"Quite the view, is it not?"

He jumped and spun around, his bag flopping against his side.

A woman glided toward him, hands folded in earthy, brown robes. Striped montrals arced gracefully above her head, and lekku swayed gently at her waist with each step.

"It would be very rude to leave without informing your hosts." Her eyes searched his, firm but not unkind, and he came to a decision.

"I need to speak with the council."

END CHAPTER


	2. Chapter 2

OOO

Chapter Two.

OOO

"I need to speak with the Council."

The jedi's brow arched. Whatever she had been expecting him to say, that wasn't it. She gestured for him to follow, the hem of her robes tickling the floor as she walked into the room he just 'escaped' from.

He hesitated, looking from one end of the moonlit corridor to the other before hefting the bag on his shoulder and following her inside, finding her standing next to the bed, waiting for him.

She stretched her hand toward the mattress.

He sighed. If Palpatine didn't know he was here, he could afford to play along for now. He dropped his bag at her feet, and lowered himself onto the bed.

A shadow appeared in the doorway. "You sent for me, Master Ti?"

His head snapped up.

A hooded woman stepped through. Dark fabric draped over olive-green skin. Diamond shaped tattoos ran across the bridge of her nose like freckles.

She was vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place it.

"Would you attend to our guest, young one?" Ti said. "It seems he's reopened his wound."

He glanced down at his chest. The sterile-white bacta patch on his breast was rapidly turning a reddish-brown.

She bowed. "Yes, Master." Her hands worked at his tunic, pushing it away from the wound. More diamonds disappeared up her sleeves.

Ti placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "What is your name, young man?"

He winced as glue pealed from skin. "Aiden Stari."

"Hello, Aiden Stari. I'm Shaak Ti, and this is Padawan Barriss Offee. She's the one who brought you here."

He turned to look at her and she ducked her head, eyes hidden beneath the hood.

The taxi platform. That's where he knew her from. "I guess I owe you my life, then."

"You don't owe me anything. It was my duty as a jedi."

He wasn't gonna look a free rescue in the mouth.

"Well... anyway. Thanks." He turned to Shaak Ti. "Look, I appreciate patching me back up again"—He raised his affected shoulder for emphasis—"But I really need to see the Council."

"Oh?" A hint of humor twinkled in her eyes. "It must be very important if you wish to summon the Council at this hour."

"Palpatine is conspiring with Dooku."

The humor vanished.

Green fingers paused in their work.

"I see..." She peered down at him. "This is very disappointing news. How do you know this?"

"I know an envelope being passed under the table when I see it. Our glorious leader's been making late night calls to Dooku, and it's not for peace talks."

"You didn't answer my question."

"Sorry." He shook his head. "That's all I'm saying until I get a couple things in writing."

She studied him, her face passive, and Barriss glanced between them.

"Very well," Shaak said, finally. "Wait here, and I will return shortly." She gave a look to Barriss, and disappeared out the door.

A sense of unease blossomed in his gut. That seemed way too easy.

Barriss continued working on his chest. A new bacta patch already covered the wound securely, but she continued to press her fingers around the adhesive border as the minutes passed.

"I think it's on there." His lips quirked.

Unreadable violet looked back at him.

The feeling of unease grew.

"Aiden Stari."

He looked up as Shaak Ti reappeared in the door, flanked by two robed figures.

"You're hereby under arrest for espionage, and attempted subversion of the Republic."

OOO

The Temple guards seized Aiden.

"What?" He looked at them in shock. "No!"

They pulled him to his feet, dragging him by the arms toward the door.

"The bastard is lying!" His feet dug into the floor in vain as he struggled in their grip. "The bastard is lying! He's working with Dooku!"

His shouts echoed down the halls, and Barriss frowned.

"Master Ti?" she said. "I don't detect any deception from him."

"We will discover the truth soon enough, Padawan."

Shaak followed the Temple guards out the door, leaving Barriss alone in the room.

Her shift would be over soon, but she didn't think she would be able to sleep now.

The Chancellor had informed the Order of Dooku's unexpected contact, as well as the subsequent intrusion. He claimed the Senate Bureau of Intelligence was unable to trace the source of the intrusion, but it was assumed to be an agent of Dooku.

But now... Now she wasn't so sure. Aiden believed what he was saying was true. Was he then mistaken? Or was the Chancellor lying?

Aiden's bag lay forgotten next to the bed, the glow of his data pad spilling out from under the flap.

She glanced at the doorway.

An empty hall greeted her.

She walked over to the bag and pulled the data pad out, the screen burning her eyes in the dark room. It was unlocked.

She tucked the data pad in her robes, and quietly left the room.

OOO

The cuffs were ice on his wrists. The luminator in the ceiling stabbed his eyes, and left everything else dark.

The jedi stood across the table from him, cream colored tunic contrasting with chocolate skin.

"What is Dooku planning?" Stern eyes bore down at him.

"Ask Palpatine."

"You're not helping yourself."

"I'm trying to help _you_."

A huff. "Really." He pulled out the chair, metal legs squealing against the floor, and he sat down, folding his hands on the table. "By all means, help me."

Aiden stared back at him. _Might as well take whatever parting shot I can._ Collateral damage was the name of the game, now. Take the bastard down with him. Or at least cause as many problems for him as humanly possible.

He leaned forward, cuffs scraping on the table. "Alright." He peered at the jedi. "Listen careful."

He recounted everything that happened. From the competition to slice into the senate, to Palpatine's secret niche, to the stupid bugs who left him for dead on a loading dock.

Through it all, the jedi's face was hard and unmoving as stone. But the longer he spoke, the hardness in his eyes seemed to fade, replaced with a look he couldn't place. Like he was working out a puzzle that would explode if he touched it wrong.

"Then she came back and..." He raised his hands, jingling the cuffs. "Here we are."

The jedi leaned back, absently tapping his finger on the table, and he glanced at the one-way mirror on the far wall.

"Do me a favor," Aiden said.

The jedi regarded him once more.

"I'm not suicidal, and I'm not gonna piss anyone off in the mess hall. So when I'm found dead in my cell, nail the bastard to the wall like the rat he is."

The jedi stared at him. And then, without a word, he rose from his seat and walked out, the door sighing shut behind him.

OOO

Obi-Wan Kenobi stood next to Yoda in the observation room, running his thumb and forefinger over his beard.

Light flooded into the room for a brief moment, and Mace joined them at the window.

"What do you think?" Mace said, gazing at the street rat through the glass.

"Certainly not what I expected."

"It's not possible."

Obi-Wan's lip curled. "Strange days when we find ourselves _hoping_ we're being lied to."

"Oh, we're being lied to. The question is: who's doing the lying?"

Yoda hummed deep in his throat, his walking stick tapping against the floor as he began hobbling toward the door.

"Master Yoda?"

"If being deceived, we are," he said. "Draw out the truth, we will."

The clacking of his walking stick faded away, and Mace and Obi-Wan glanced at each other.

"I hate it when he gets cryptic."

OOO

Barriss sat in an isolated corner of the Archives, submerged in the glow of multiple displays. Aiden's data pad teetered on the edge of the table, names of slicers he had communications with running down the screen.

The Archive terminal in front of her connected to the Temple's criminal database.

An hour of backtracking through Aiden's device history revealed he was telling the truth. At least to some degree. Apparently, there had been a competition among Coruscant's slicers to breach the senate, and Aiden had been in contact with the other competitors, giving her a list of names to work from.

The difficulty was, they were all code names. Slicers never used real names in their dealings. They were known among their peers and clientele only by a moniker they chose for themselves.

Unless, of course, they got caught at some point in their career.

She typed name after name into the Temple's database, hoping for a match in their records. Finally, one of the names came back positive.

_Dak Landon, code name: Holoslug_

She leaned forward as she read.

_Arrested six years ago for slicing into Blastech's systems and making illegal copies of their latest weapon designs. Claimed he was working on behalf of Blastech competitor Armamax. _

_Released one year ago. Current residence: Sunset Heights, Uscru District. Unit 482._

She copied the information onto her own data pad, and closed the terminal. The Temple's earliest risers were just beginning to filter in as she grabbed Aiden's tablet off the desk and made for the exit, a single destination in mind.

She hurried through the halls, her cloak billowing behind her, and she arrived at the detention center just as Aiden was being led out of an interrogation room by Masters Kenobi and Windu.

"Masters." She stopped in front of them and bowed, clutching the data pads against her chest.

Mace looked down at her. "Is there something you need, Padawan?"

"I've made an important discovery, if you could spare a moment."

He nodded for Obi-Wan to go on ahead, and folded his hands in his robes. "What is it you wish to share?"

"Aiden is telling the truth." She handed him Aiden's data pad. "He wasn't the only slicer who infiltrated the senate that night."

"Where did you get this?"

She averted her eyes. "It was left among his personal items when he was taken away. I thought it my duty to investigate."

"It was your duty to turn it over to be properly analyzed," he said. "Communications like these can be easily fabricated. And an agent of Dooku would go to all lengths to sell their story."

"But—"

"Leave it alone, Padawan; It's not your place."

He brushed past her, taking Aiden's data pad with him.

She watched him go, her lips parted in shock. Master Windu had _never_ been that rude to her before. _No_ jedi had been that rude to her before.

Her brow drew together, and her mouth pulled into a tight frown.

If Master Unduli was not currently away from the Temple on a mission, she would seek her council as to what to do next. As it was, she was left to decide her own course.

Her personal data pad grew heavier in her hands, the information inside calling out to her, and her eyes narrowed. A jedi's _place_ was to uncover the truth, no matter how unpleasant the findings may be.

And that's exactly what she was going to do.

OOO

Palpatine sat in his office as the mid-morning sun struck the window, his mind elsewhere. The proper steps had been taken to ensure no complications would arise from this incident, but the source of the annoyance, this 'Aiden Stari', still needed to be found and dealt with.

The little cretin was proving... elusive.

The door hissed open.

He looked up, and none other than Mace Windu strode in, flanked by a laughably weak knight he didn't recognize.

"Master Windu." Wrinkled hands gripped Nubian leather as he pushed himself to his feet. "This is certainly unexpected. What can I do for you?"

Mace stopped in front of the desk and bowed. "Chancellor."

Palpatine gestured to the velvet chair beside Mace. "Please have a seat."

"I won't be here long."

_On that, we can agree._

"Very well," he said. "What important business brings you all the way to my office, Master Jedi?"

"I came to inform you the slicer responsible for the intrusion into your system has been apprehended, and he's waiting to be transferred to SBI custody."

"Ah." Lips pulled back over yellow teeth. "The situation will be resolved shortly, then."

Mace looked at him evenly. "Indeed."

"Well, that's very good news, Master Windu. But you didn't need to take time out of your busy schedule to tell me in person."

Mace strolled around the desk, glancing around the room. "You're probably right, Your Excellency."

Palpatine raised an eyebrow.

He came to stand in front of the window, admiring a small statue in the corner. "Join me, Your Excellency."

"Master Windu?"

He didn't turn around. "Join me."

Palpatine's eyes narrowed, but he did as he was told, silk robes swishing across the lush carpet until he stood beside Mace.

"Would you be so kind as to place your hand on the statue, Your Excellency?"

Palpatine chuckled. "This is becoming quite silly, Master Windu."

Mace smiled. "Indulge me."

The two men stared each other down, and the temperature of the room dropped.

Palpatine slowly lifted his hand, and placed it on the statue's head.

Silence reigned.

Mace's smile became slightly ironic. "Thank you for your time, Chancellor."

He turned and walked away without so much as a glance back, his pathetic companion following in his wake.

As Palpatine watched him go, his eyes became slits and his jaw creaked. Yet the ghost of a smile played across his face. The situation would be resolved very shortly, indeed.

_You should not have gone to the Jedi, my young friend._

END CHAPTER


	3. Chapter 3

OOO

Chapter Three.

OOO

Barriss stood near a stack of containers in the Temple hangar, the patter of footsteps and the whirring of power-wrenches filling the air as she waited for an opening.

At the mouth of the hangar, Masters Kenobi and Windu stood with a handcuffed Aiden between them, silhouetted against the Coruscant skyline.

Aiden was being handed over to SBI custody today, which meant this was the last opportunity she would have to hear the uncensored story from his own mouth.

Unfortunately, there was currently an obstacle standing between herself and her goal in the form of a particular Korun Jedi master.

A slight glare snuck past her discipline and launched itself at the back of Mace's head. He made it abundantly clear in the detention center what he thought of her. As long as he was present, she wouldn't be speaking with Aiden.

A prison transport shuttle touched down on the landing platform, a technician running out to meet it.

Mace said something to Obi-Wan, and placed his hand on the other master's shoulder before turning and walking back toward the Temple entrance.

Barriss pressed herself against the stack of containers as he passed, a single flap of a butterfly wing tickling her stomach. It was now or never.

She waited until he was out of sight, and then swept out from behind the containers and across the hangar, dodging workers and service droids as she hurried to catch Aiden before he was loaded onto the transport.

"Master Kenobi!" she said.

Obi-Wan paused in his stride, bringing Aiden to a halt with him as she reached them.

"Yes, Barriss?" He looked at her oddly. "Is something the matter?"

"I'd like to accompany Aiden to the detention facility, if it's alright, Master."

If possible, his look became even more odd. "Whatever for, Barriss?"

She glanced at Aiden. "While I'm sure there's a logical explanation for all of this, if what he says is true, his life could be in great danger. And with Master Unduli gone for the moment, I feel I would serve the Jedi better as a deterring presence during his transit, rather than twiddling my thumbs, waiting for my master to return."

It was true enough. Still, Master Kenobi didn't need to know her _every_ motive.

"I suppose there would be no harm in it." He stroked his beard. "You can go if you wish, although I doubt anything will happen."

"Thank you, Master." She bowed, and took Aiden by the arm.

He raised an eyebrow at her, but didn't say anything.

She ushered him up the loading ramp, and the technician hanging around the primary thruster lowered his head, the brim of his hat hiding his face.

Barriss secured Aiden into one of the seats not claimed by a guard trooper, and informed the pilots they were ready for takeoff before settling herself into the seat across from Aiden.

The shuttle jolted, and the whine of the engines rose in volume as they lifted away from the platform.

Barriss studied Aiden in the yellow lighting of the shuttle as the minutes passed, until he noticed her watching him and stared right back at her.

"Somethin' to say?"

"Are you working for Dooku?" she said, finally.

"No."

_No deception from him._ "Tell me what happened."

He returned to staring at the floor. "It doesn't matter anymore."

"What do you mean?"

A sigh. "Look, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I was dead the minute they put these on me." He raised his cuffs.

She shook her head. "The republic won't execute you. I promise you that."

His lip quirked. "I believe you."

She frowned.

The screech of a warning alarm tore through the shuttle, emergency lights washing the cabin in a blood-red glow.

She flinched, and whipped her head toward the cockpit. "What's happening?"

"We've lost power to the engines!" one of the pilots called, hands flying over the controls.

Aiden's brow rose. "Bastard works quick."

She looked at him.

A shudder rocked through the fuselage, and the shuttle pitched forward. Unfastened troopers flew out of their seats. White helmets smashed into metal walls. Bodies crumpled and slid across the floor. The weak emergency engines screamed under stress, drowning out the yells of those still conscious as the ship rattled so violently she thought it would break apart.

"We're going down! Brace for impact!"

Her blood chilled. The shuttle wouldn't survive impact at this velocity.

She ripped off her safety harness and grabbed Aiden, her saber bursting to life in her free hand. She plunged the blade into the hull of the ship, the metal bubbling a molten gold as she traced a jagged doorway into the wall.

"You can't be serious," He yelled over the blaring of the alarm, and the whine of the engine.

She withdrew her saber, and slammed her boot into the center of the outline. Metal screeched and tore away, hurricane-force winds surging into the ship, swirling her robes around her like a vortex of living fabric.

"This is insane!"

She pulled him tight against her, and launched herself through the breach.

He screamed as they fell toward the surface, the transport burning a smoking trail behind them.

One of the kilometer-wide shafts dotting the surface of Coruscant like hungry mouths grew larger and larger below them.

"Hold on tight!" she said.

"I'm wearing handcuffs!"

The shaft swallowed them, plunging them into murky darkness. Level after level zipped by faster than she could track. Neon signs blurred into continuous lines of shifting color. Airspeeders and transports missed them by inches.

"Watch the traffic!"

The north wall of the shaft broke into a smooth surface, and she angled them closer. She ignited her saber again, keeping a tight grip around Aiden with her other arm, and drove the azure blade deep into the wall, carving a golden trail down the shaft as they descended ever lower into the belly of Coruscant.

She dragged the blade through years of decay, her knuckles turning white and her shoulder screaming as she clenched the hilt with all her strength, the levels beginning to pass slower as duracrete scraped against her side. She grit her teeth and waited until she could read the passing signs before planting her feet against the wall and launching them toward a warehouse on a protruding platform, Aiden shouting once more as they fell.

Her saber winked out and she enveloped him, spinning them around in mid-air.

Her back smashed through the glass ceiling of the warehouse. Metal support beams grazed the hem of her robes. Wooden boxes shattered and splintered around her.

She hit the ground.

Dust flew up from where she smacked into the warehouse floor, engulfing them in an amber cloud. Shards of glass rained down like daggers from above, splashing to pieces around them.

Neither one moved. She blinked at the dust burning her eyes, and coughed as it burned her lungs. Her arms still clamped around Aiden.

"I think you can let go, now," he gasped.

She looked down at him pressed against her chest, and her cheeks turned a darker shade of green as she unwrapped herself from him.

He rolled off of her, pushing himself onto his knees with shaky arms.

She sat up, ignoring a stab of pain in her back. "Are you okay?"

He coughed, nodding. "I'm not the one who just took a building to the back."

"I am alright," she said, looking up as hazy light filtered through the jagged remains of the ceiling. "We just need to get in contact with the Jedi, and they'll send—"

"The Jedi?" He looked at her. "Are you crazy?"

She stared back at him.

"If you call them, Palpatine just gets another chance to finish the job."

Now she looked at _him_ like he was crazy. "You believe the Chancellor was behind this?"

"What else do you think just happened?" he demanded.

"You heard the pilots: The engines malfunctioned."

"On the ship that just happens to be carrying Palpatine's accuser?" He scoffed. "I thought Jedi didn't believe in coincidences."

She searched for a retort, but found none.

"Look." He rose to his feet. "If you take me back to the Jedi, I'm as good as dead. I'm not going back."

She gazed up at him, and the wail of distant sirens floated into the warehouse. _A Jedi's duty is to uncover the truth._

She pushed herself up, and he widened his stance, preparing to run or fight.

_Leave it alone, Padawan. It's not your place._

She came to a decision.

She waved her hand, and the cuffs fell from his wrists, clanking to the ground amid shattered glass.

He looked at her.

"Come with me," she said. "We're going to find out how honest you are."

OOO

Palpatine sat at his desk, skimming over menial reports as a holonet broadcast played in the background.

"...And now, breaking news. It's being reported there has been a crash near 500 Republica. A shuttle departing from the Jedi Temple apparently lost control, crashing into the Vandar Memorial Walkway twenty minutes ago.

"No word yet on who was aboard, but there appears to be no survivors. Keep watching for more details as the story develops."

The door hissed open.

"You sent for me, Your Excellency?" Admiral Tarkin said as he entered, coming to rest in front of the desk.

Palpatine switched off the broadcast, a calculating look in his eye as he leaned back in his seat.

"I have a task for you."

OOO

Aiden walked beside Barriss through the dingy corridors of Sunset Heights.

The lights running along the ceiling flickered. Half of the doors passing by were missing numbers. Muffled arguments spilled out from behind a few of them.

"Why are we here?" He wrinkled his nose.

"We're visiting a friend of yours."

"I don't have any friends. Much less any that live here."

She stopped at a door that once displayed a 482, but now only bore the faded outline of where the numbers used to be. The access panel on the door frame showed it was unlocked.

She pressed the call button on the panel, and waited.

Nothing happened.

She pressed it again. No response.

"Maybe they're not home?" he said.

"With the door unlocked?" She narrowed her eyes.

She looked from one end of the hallway to the other before hitting the panel again, the door sliding open.

A horrendous stench billowed out of the apartment, and Aiden gagged, the stench burning his throat with a sickly-sweet tang that twisted his stomach. _What kind of cesspit hell-hole is this place?_

Barriss wrapped her fingers around the saber on her belt, and crept through the door.

He held his breath and followed.

The only light in the place was a faint glow coming from the living room ahead.

"Dak Landon?" she called.

Silence answered.

The hair on the back of his neck raised. "This is starting to get really creepy, Barriss. Can we get out of here, please?"

She moved ahead of him into the room and then froze, covering her mouth with her hand.

"What?" He rushed to her side.

In the far corner, a man lay crumpled against a desk, two charred holes burned into his torso.

An unlocked data pad rested in his hand.

Adrenaline prickled Aiden's veins, and he looked between her and the body. "Barriss, what's going on? Who is this?"

"This is... _was_ Dak Landon."

He shook his head. "I don't know anyone named Dak Landon."

She looked at him. "Holoslug."

Holoslug. The three signatures in the senate directory. He was one of the slicers who beat him into the system.

"Palpatine," he said.

Barriss nodded. "I believe you."

"Then can we please get out of here before someone sees us?"

Voices and hurried footsteps echoed down the hall outside. "_They said the shots came from this way._"

He smacked his forehead. "You have got to be kidding me."

Barriss grabbed his arm, dragging him toward the door. "Quickly!"

They raced out of the room and down the corridor, away from the voices. Barriss reached the end of the hall first, and shot around the corner before the patrol troopers appeared at the other end.

Aiden wasn't so lucky.

"You there! Stop!"

The prickle of adrenaline surged into a roaring fire, and he dove around the corner as their footsteps pounded down the hall behind him. _Thanks a lot, Barriss!  
_

Barriss stood impatiently by an emergency exit ahead. "This way." She waved him over.

He increased his pace as she disappeared through the door, and the voices behind him grew louder. _Blast. _He charged through the door into a dark alley, looking around frantically for where she went. "Barri—"

A green hand clamped around his mouth from behind, yanking him back into a shadowed corner.

"Mmph!"

Warm lips brushed his ear. "Sh."

Two troopers spilled into the alley, one going left, the other right—directly toward them.

Aiden's eyes widened and he fidgeted in her grasp. "Mmph!"

She squeezed him hard. "Quiet." she hissed.

The trooper stalked toward them, his flashlight sweeping across every nook and cranny, piercing the shadows that draped over the alley. He stopped in front of them, and the beam of light struck them like a spotlight.

Featureless lenses stared at them, and Aiden's gut clenched.

A whisper behind his ear. "No sign of him."

The trooper continued staring at them, and then abruptly turned around, walking back to his partner and clicking off the light. "No sign of him. Must have got away."

The pair walked back into the apartment complex, leaving Aiden and Barriss alone in the alley.

His brow furrowed. "Mmph?"

She withdrew her hand.

"What... What was _that_?"

"It's not safe for you to be out here." She gently grasped his arm. "Come."

She gave his arm a tug, and he mutely followed as she led him out of the alley and away from the apartments, toward a destination known only to her.

What was happening to him? How did his life turn into this? A week ago, he was thinking about which new mod to install in his data pad next. Now, he was getting shot, jumping out of burning shuttles, and running around the underworld with a Jedi who could apparently turn invisible or something.

Oh, and trying not to get offed by the leader of the free galaxy, too.

After what seemed like hours of being dragged through alleys and sidestreets, they came to a rundown motel in the seedier side of Uscru district. The sign above the door flashed 'vacancy' in pink letters. A few twi'leks loitered under a streetlight, eyeing them as they passed.

Barriss pulled Aiden inside, staring straight ahead while discreetly pulling her cloak over the hilt of her saber.

A nikto behind the desk looked up as they approached, glancing between them with what Aiden assumed was a strange expression. It was hard to tell.

"We'd like a room, please," Barriss said.

"By the night, or by the hour?"

Her voice could have frozen over Mustafar. "By the night."

"Fifteen credits per." he said.

She placed a credit chip on the counter. Aiden didn't see how much it was, but the nikto's eyes widened.

The chip disappeared into the folds of his clothes, and he handed her a keycard. "Room twelve."

Without a word, she grabbed the card and pulled Aiden down the hall to the room. A snicker followed behind them, and her grip on his arm tightened.

He winced. Definitely gonna be a bruise there.

She pushed the keycard into the slot on the doorframe, and it grinded open.

Panels in the walls and floor of the room were missing, exposing wires and pipes within. A constant electric hum that seemed to come from nowhere filled the space.

Fifteen credits didn't get you much, apparently.

The door shut, and she walked further into the room before turning around to face him. "You're going to tell me everything that happened. Starting at the beginning."

"It's a long story," he said. "Won't your master be looking for you? You did just leave a mile-long slice through Coruscant's infrastructure."

She folded her hands behind her back. "My master is away, and I'm currently tracking you through the lower levels after you escaped my grasp; I've got all night."

"You're a little scary, you know that?"

She smiled faintly. "I try."

He blew out a breath, and rubbed the back of his neck. "What do you want to know?"

She moved over to the couch. "Tell me what you saw in the Chancellor's office."

"Well, he was sitting at his desk when I sliced in..."

He described everything he remembered from the night, occasionally going into greater detail when Barriss would ask a question about something—she seemed especially interested in the glass-encased items stored in the niche.

"...They chased me to the taxi platform, and... well, you know what happened from there."

She paced in front of the couch. "And you told all this to Master Windu?"

"Of course."

"What did he say?"

Aiden huffed. "Nothing. He just walked out, and then a couple hours later, him and that Kenobi guy pulled me out of the room and threw me in a cell."

Her brow furrowed, and she gazed deep into his eyes, the same way the other Jedi he met did.

It seemed to be one of their favorite things to do.

Finally, she spoke. "You're not lying. If I know that, they certainly would have, as well. Why would they then turn you over to the Chancellor without investigating? It doesn't make any sense."

"Maybe they're in for a piece, too?"

"No." Her hand cut the air sharply. "The Jedi would never betray the Republic."

"Not _all_ of them," he said. "Maybe just _some_ of them. I mean, I never actually got to speak with the Council, just that Windu jerk. What if he didn't tell them?"

"It's not possible," she said.

He shrugged. "If you can think of another explanation..."

Her eyes became distant, lines creasing her forehead.

Maybe she thought the Jedi were paragons of virtue who could do no wrong, but life in the underbelly of Coruscant cures a person of the idea that a kitchen can be completely free of rats.

She blinked, seemingly coming back to herself, and looked at him.

A familiar sense of unease sprung in his gut. "What?"

The conflict in her eyes melted away, replaced with steely determination. "You're going to help me expose the Chancellor."

"Huh-uh." He shook his head. "No way."

Her eyes narrowed. "I thought you _wanted_ to expose him."

"I _wanted_ to save my neck. Results have shown going after the bastard is not conducive to that."

"So you're just going to hide and hope he doesn't find you?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm going to do."

She took a step toward him. "I saved your life."

"You did." He nodded. "You also said I didn't owe you anything. Something about duty?"

"That was when I thought you were an innocent victim," she said. "And I've saved you twice more since then."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I only remember being blown out of the sky once."

"And then there were the troopers at Sunset Heights."

"That was your fault," he said. "If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have even been there."

"Right." She inclined her head. "Because you would have been lying dead in a pile of shuttle debris."

He made a sound in his throat.

"I'm going to pursue the Chancellor with, or without you," she said. "But your particular skills would be invaluable to me in uncovering the truth." She looked at him evenly. "Will you aid me, or not?"

His finger tapped against his thigh.

When it came right down to it, he was still in the same spot he was that first night. Everyone would be hunting him. Nowhere would be safe. Even if he could stay under the radar in the lower levels, he'd still be looking over his shoulder the rest of his life. Was that any way to live?

There was only one way he was ever gonna be free of this. Either Palpatine was going down, or he was.

He sighed and dropped his head, running his fingers through his hair before meeting her eyes.

"What do you need me to do?"

END CHAPTER


	4. Chapter 4

OOO

Chapter Four.

OOO

Barriss stood in the center of the Council Chamber, the world of Coruscant stretching out in all directions beyond the transparisteel glass encircling the room. The sun rising over the jagged spires of the horizon cast long shadows across the marble floor.

"...When I woke up, his handcuffs were laying on the ground next to me, and he was gone," she said. "My communicator was lost in the fall, so I could not send for help. I tried looking for him, but..." Her head lowered. "I'm sorry, Masters."

Looks passed between those seated around her.

She controlled her breathing, forcing her heart to remain steady. Their gazes bore into her from all sides. Suspicion hung heavy in the air. They were never going to accept her report at face value. She knew that. But no proof existed to contradict her. Whatever happened next rested on how unreadable she could be—and how discerning the Council was.

"Well," Obi-Wan finally spoke. "It appears it was very fortunate you decided to accompany him, Padawan."

"Yes..." Mace tapped a finger against the armrest of his chair. "_Very_ fortunate."

She kept her eyes on Obi-Wan.

"Find him, we must," Yoda said.

"If I may, Master Yoda," Shaak Ti said. "I am familiar with the boy. I believe of those available to search, I would have the best chance of locating him."

Yoda hummed, nodding. "Barriss, also, will join your search."

Mace looked at him. "Are you sure that's wise?"

A hushed silence settled over the Council.

Yoda peered at Mace over the handle of his walking stick. "So certain, are you, that it is not?"

Mace looked from Yoda to the other masters seated around the chamber. No one spoke a word.

Aiden's comments about Master Windu echoed in Barriss' mind.

He cleared his throat, inclining his head. "Forgive me, Master."

Yoda continued to peer at him.

Now Master Kenobi cleared his throat. "Well, it appears it's settled, then. Master Ti and Barriss will locate our young fugitive, and return him to the Temple until we learn what transpired."

A murmur of agreement swept through the chamber, and Shaak gracefully rose from her seat, motioning for Barriss to join her. "Come, young one."

Barriss' chest untightened as she followed her out of the Council Chamber, leaving behind the tension that still lurked under the surface of the room.

Aiden's words still haunted her as they walked through the halls of the Temple.

"Master Ti?" she said. "Does Master Windu behave like that... Often?"

The corner of Shaak's lip tugged. "Be mindful of the things that affect you, Padawan. And do not concern yourself with things that do not."

Her brow wrinkled.

"Come," Shaak said. "We must acquire a new communicator for you, and then we will begin our hunt."

OOO

Palpatine sat in his personal suite, drumming his fingers on crimson velvet. Statues and relics from the galaxy over rested on marble pedestals around the room, and a holonet screen hung between two ancient works of art, broadcasting a news report he had long since stopped listening to.

A scowl creased his face as the screen played images of melted scars running down stained duracrete, and glass scattered across dust-ridden floors.

The little cretin was alive.

His communicator beeped.

He held the device in his hand, and the image of Tarkin appeared. "Your Excellency."

"What is it, Admiral?" he said.

"I've encountered a problem with the task you gave me."

His eyes narrowed. "What kind of problem?"

Tarkin looked over his shoulder before speaking. "The data pad the Jedi handed over to the SBI is not the one the slicer used in his intrusion."

_Impossible._ "How do you know this?" he demanded.

"The data pad is completely clean; no traces of anything."

He smothered a sigh. _Imbecile. _"Do you think an agent of Dooku would not wipe the memory in case of capture?" he said. "There are ways to restore what was lost."

Tarkin's jaw tensed. "I'm aware of that. What I mean is; there was _never _anything on this data pad. Someone took an ordinary data pad, and then ran a wipe on it to make it _look_ like something had been erased." He held up the item in question. "This may be one of the slicer's data pads, but it is not the one we need."

Palpatine continued drumming his fingers, and glanced at the holonet broadcast still displaying the marks of a lightsaber through grey walls.

Either the little cretin was smarter than he had believed, or the Jedi were playing a game of their own.

"Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Admiral," he said, still looking at the holonet screen. "I have pressing matters to attend to."

He disconnected the call, running his thumb and forefinger together in a circular motion.

If it was a game the Jedi desired, then a game they would play.

OOO

_Flick, thump... Flick, thump... Flick, thump..._

Aiden had lost count of how many times he had tossed Barriss' communicator in the air and caught it again, coarse sheets scratching against his back with every motion. She had told him she would call as soon as she was able, and then left to deliver her story to the Council, telling him not to leave the room until he heard from her.

_Flick, thump._

She also told him it wouldn't be long.

_Flick, thump._

The electric hum that once sat docile in the background now slithered across the grimy floors, whispering into his ear with unspoken taunts.

_Flick, thump. _Hurry, Barriss.

The communicator beeped, interrupting the constant hum.

He shot up to a sitting position, holding the device in both hands as he pressed the receive button. "Barriss?"

A girl, the same race as that Shaak Ti woman, appeared in his hand. "Barri—" She stopped short as their eyes met. "Who are you?"

He froze.

Another woman appeared next to the girl, the same race as Barriss, but much older. Her eyes narrowed when she saw him. "What are you doing with my padawan's communicator, young man?"

His thumb smashed against the disconnect button, and their images winked out. He sat motionless as the hum crept in again, louder than before.

The communicator beeped.

He stared at the flashing light indicating an incoming call.

He pressed the decline button.

OOO

Barriss walked beside Shaak Ti in the Temple hangar, a new communicator tucked in her robes. She glanced at the togruta master out of the corner of her eye as technicians and ships passed in the background. She needed to find a way to separate herself from the master once they were away from the Temple. Otherwise...

A transport touched down on the landing platform, and Ahsoka jumped out before the ramp had even finished lowering, Master Unduli striding down after her in a much more calm manner.

Ahsoka's eyes met hers, and the togruta padawan stopped and pointed at her, mouth moving in unheard words.

Master Unduli followed the path Ahsoka's finger indicated, and spotted Barriss across the hangar, immediately making a bee-line for her.

"Master Ti." Barriss motioned toward her approaching master.

Shaak looked from Barriss to Luminara, and came to a stop.

"Master." Barriss bowed as Luminara and Ahsoka reached them, Shaak doing the same. "I didn't know you were returning today."

"Padawan." Luminara peered at her, a strange look on her face. There was relief, but also something else she couldn't place. "Why is your communicator currently in the possession of a young human male?"

Her heart jumped.

Shaak raised an eyebrow, and Ahsoka crossed her arms, an insufferable smirk on her lips.

_Control your breathing. Think._ "What did he look like?" she said.

Luminara's eyes narrowed ever so slightly as she studied her.

"Blue eyes, kinda scruffy looking," Ahsoka said.

"That's him." Barriss turned to Shaak, the edge of her hood conveniently shielding her from Luminara's scrutiny.

"May I ask what's going on?" Luminara said.

"Forgive me." Shaak inclined her head. "Barriss lost her communicator in pursuit of a fugitive yesterday. It seems we now know where it is." She turned to Ahsoka. "Could you see anything of his surroundings?"

"Just that he was sitting on a bed." She shrugged. "And it looked kinda... Grungy."

"A cheap motel would be a likely place of refuge." Shaak said to Barriss. "The establishments in the areas surrounding your landing point would be a good place to begin our search."

"I will come with you," Luminara said.

Ahsoka nodded. "Me too."

Barriss clamped down on her emotions before they could be detected. "What about Master Skywalker? Won't he be expecting you?"

Ahsoka waved a hand. "Skyguy's not expecting me until tonight. And I could use some fresh air after being cramped up in a starship for so long."

"We would be glad for the company." Shaak smiled.

"Indeed." Luminara's eyes remained on Barriss.

"Let us depart, then." Shaak turned and continued toward the shuttle that would take them to the lower levels, the others falling in behind her.

Barriss kept her head down as they walked, her stomach tight. Master Ti by herself, she might have been able to slip away from. Now...

Ahsoka pulled up next to her as they entered the shuttle. "So, while I was stuck in hyperspace, you were chasing bad guys through Coruscant, huh?"

Barriss sat in one of the seats, occupying herself with untangling a safety strap that wasn't tangled. "It wasn't nearly as exciting as that."

"The new scar gracing seventy levels of Coruscant would beg to differ," Shaak said.

Ahsoka's eyes widened. "What?"

"Sounds like quite the story, Padawan," Luminara said from the seat across from her. "I'd very much like to hear it."

"So would I," Ahsoka said, plopping down in the seat next to her.

Barriss bit the inside of her cheek. "Very well, Master."

The transport lifted away from the platform, and Barriss retold the report she had given to the Council as they flew to the lower levels of Coruscant, Ahsoka sitting in rapt attention and Luminara remaining as steadfast and unreadable as ever.

They eventually came to the now-infamous access shaft, and descended through it, following the lightsaber marks downward until they came to a warehouse with a shattered glass roof.

The transport hovered parallel with the protruding platform the building sat on, and lowered its ramp.

The four Jedi hopped out onto the platform, the graffitied metal door of the warehouse screeching open as they stepped through, the glass scattered across layers of dust crunching under their boots.

"Wow." Ahsoka stood in the center of the room, looking up through the spider-webbed remains of the glass above. "You weren't kidding."

Luminara walked over to a pair of handcuffs lying near the thickest concentration of broken glass, and picked them up, examining them in a hazy shaft of light spilling into the warehouse. "How did he release the safety catch by himself?"

Barriss knelt by a piece of splintered wood, examining it.

"When he was brought to the Temple, he managed to free himself from his monitors without raising alert," Shaak said. "It does not surprise me he would know how to escape simple handcuffs."

Luminara looked from the cuffs to Barriss.

"Well." Ashoka turned away from the jagged hole in the roof, facing them. "Where do we start?"

"The nearest motels," Shaak said. "We will branch out from here, widening our search until we find him."

"Wouldn't a motel owner contact the authorities if a known fugitive was staying there?"

"Not in the underworld, young one."

Luminara tucked the cuffs into her robes. "We should begin immediately, lest he put more distance between us."

Barriss stood and dusted off her hands, exhaling quietly. _I'm sorry, Aiden__._

"Agreed." Shaak nodded. "Ahsoka and I will search in one direction, and you and Barriss will search in the other."

"Agreed."

Shaak turned and left through the door, and Ahsoka shrugged at Barriss before jogging to catch up with her.

"Come, padawan." Luminara stretched her arm toward Barriss. "Let us begin."

Barriss ducked her head, and fell in beside her, the two of them heading north, away from the warehouse.

As they navigated through smoky alleys and neon-tinged walkways, neither one of them noticed the set of eyes watching them.

OOO

The humming.

Aiden sat on the edge of the bed, elbows resting on his knees, and his fingers interlocked behind his lowered head.

It was getting louder. Or maybe just smarter. Barriss said she would call, but all he heard was the humming.

His stomach rumbled. He hadn't eaten since before the crash. They hadn't thought about dinner last night. Just Palpatine. Until she came back, he couldn't leave to get something.

The humming was louder. He was sure of it.

Why hadn't she called like she said? Did they find out she helped him? Maybe she got caught. Thrown in a cell like him. Would she tell them where he was? Was a squad of troopers on their way to kick in the door right now?

The humming...

Was he just supposed to wait to see what would happen to him? If the door would open to reveal a friendly face, or a merciless mask? Should he leave his future to chance, and do nothing? Or should he take his own chances?

His stomach growled.

He shot up from the bed and walked to the door, slapping his hand against the panel on the frame. The door grinded open, and he stepped through, looking left and right.

A quiet hall greeted him.

The hum called out to him from the room.

He started walking.

The doors lining the hall passed one by one, slowly at first, then gradually faster until they became a blur as he burst out of the building onto the streets. His chest heaved, sucking down musty air like it was the purest spring wind.

The humming was gone.

He stood under the pink letters cutting the darkness above him, hands on his knees, breathing. Listening.

The coo of distant airspeeders floated down the walkway. The patter of footsteps here and there. Quiet whispers of those passing by.

He breathed slowly, straightening.

The twi'leks under the streetlight stared at him.

He turned and walked the other way. This was a bad idea, but he needed to get away from the hum. He needed to hear something else. He needed... something.

A food vendor displayed eat-on-the-go style snacks in a booth ahead of him.

_Better than nothing._

He started to head in that direction, when unnaturally long fingers clamped down on his shoulder from behind, cold metal pressing into his back.

He sucked in a breath and froze, ice gripping his heart.

"Walk casual." A sandpapered, but feminine voice sounded behind his ear.

He swallowed and moved his legs, glancing down at the hand on his shoulder. Bone-white skin stretched over spindly fingers as long as his face.

"Who—"

The cold metal jabbed harder into his back. "Say one word, and I'll drop you here and now."

Beads of moisture dotted his forehead. Palpatine had found him.

She herded him through the back-alleys of Uscru district, directing him which way to go with jabs from her blaster. They came to an airspeeder landing platform, speeders of various types sitting idle. One in particular looked far more utilitarian than the others, and she pushed him toward it, giving his shoulder a shove.

He stumbled, and two patrol troopers standing in a shadowed corner looked their way.

"Pick up your feet, you waste." Her voice was urgent. "Move it."

He risked a glance back at her.

She stood a full head taller than him, her ghostly pale face severe as she stared past him toward the troopers. "Get into the speeder. Now."

The troopers began moving toward them. "Hold it—"

The cold metal left his back, and a blaster shot tore past his shoulder and across the platform, the red streak smacking one of the troopers straight in the chest.

He crumpled to the ground, blaster clattering from his hand and smoke rising from his melted chestplate.

Aiden's mouth fell open.

"Move it!" she grated.

The trooper's partner dove behind a parked speeder and leveled his blaster over the hood, sending streaks of blue scorching toward them.

Aiden yelled as she grabbed a fistful of his shirt, and dragged him toward her speeder with one hand, her blaster shrieking in her other hand. She threw him into the passenger seat, and he ducked down as far as he could into the frayed leather as blaster bolts screeched overhead.

She jumped into the driver's seat, her blaster still barking above his head, and the speeder rumbled to life before shooting upward, boosting away from the platform as bolts trailed after them.

"You killed him!" His eyes were wide.

She dug the now-hot barrel of her blaster into his side. "And I'll kill you, too, if you move a muscle while I'm driving."

"You're taking me to Palpatine. I'm dead, anyway."

A chuckle escaped her throat, and her lips curled. "How precious." The blaster twisted and dug deeper into his side. "I'm going to enjoy this even more than I thought."

He glared at her, but uncertainty knotted his gut. Enjoy what?

She weaved through traffic and neon-covered towers, and came to a nondescript building with a single small landing pad protruding from a large door halfway up the side of the structure.

The speeder shuddered as it came to a rest on the platform, and she hauled him out, shoving him toward the door.

His breath was shallow as the doors parted, and she pushed him through into a plain, dark room, a dim luminator glowing above a metal table and chair in the center of the room.

A life-sized hologram of a man stood on the other side of the table, bathing the room in an eerie blue haze. A neatly-trimmed, grey beard graced the lower half of his face, and an ornate chain secured an elegant cloak on his shoulders.

A curved lightsaber hilt rested on his belt.

A chill ran down Aiden's spine, and his lips parted. _Dooku._

"Welcome, my young friend," he said.

She sat him down roughly in the chair, and Dooku gazed down at him, eyes cold and unforgiving as stone.

"You and I have much to discuss."

END CHAPTER


	5. Chapter 5

OOO

Chapter Five.

OOO

"You and I have much to discuss."

Aiden glared at the blue ghost standing in the darkness like a sinister beacon, the cold edges of the chair digging into his back. "How did you find me?"

Dooku gazed down at him from across the metal table like an executioner standing over the condemned. "For all her skill, your Jedi friend has not yet learned subtlety."

A skeletal finger brushed down his cheek, pale lips pulling back in a smirk. "You should have picked a motel farther away from the dead guy's apartment." She chuckled. "You made it far too easy for me."

His jaw clenched against her touch. "If you're gonna kill me, just do it. Don't waste my time gloating about it first."

"A fool jumps to conclusions, my young friend," Dooku said. "A wise man holds his tongue, and listens."

Aiden shot daggers at him, but didn't speak.

A twitch of a mustache. "So you are not a complete fool, after all. That is good. Fools do not last long in my employ."

Aiden's brow knit together. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm offering you a job, slicer."

A sour knot crashed through Aiden's gut, and a laugh of disbelief burst from his throat before he could stop it. "A job..." He stared at up at the specter. "You can't be serious..."

Dooku was unimpressed. "Is something amusing?"

"Yeah. My life."

"I would not act so flippantly if I were you," Dooku said. "I offer you an ally in the war you've been thrust into."

War. At this point, it was more like a circus. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you buddies with Palpatine?"

"The Chancellor and I have worked together." Dooku inclined his head, hologram flickering. "You know this. However, the time has come for him to be removed."

Aiden's stomach sunk. "You're not seriously asking me to kill the Chancellor of the Republic?"

A chuckle. "No, my young friend. Your skills lie in the discovery of secrets, not assassination. It is in this way you will serve me."

He narrowed his eyes. "I don't remember agreeing."

"You certainly have the right to refuse." Dooku nodded. "Bear in mind, however, that every choice carries with it a consequence."

Spindly fingers drummed against his shoulder.

He bit back a grimace, jaw tensing. This didn't make any sense. "Why me? Why not another slicer? You must have someone else..."

"None I can trust so fully not to go to the Chancellor or the Jedi."

Bastard.

The bony hand left Aiden's shoulder, coming to rest on a holstered blaster. "We should wrap this up, Count. No telling when his little brat will come looking for him."

"Indeed." Dooku turned back to Aiden. "What is your choice, slicer? Shall I be your ally against Palpatine? Or yet one more enemy?"

Ashen fingers curled around the handle of the blaster.

Friendship from down the barrel of a gun. Classy. He huffed and shook his head, glaring at the reflection of blue in the metal table. It was better than looking at the geezer's smug face.

"What do you want me to do?" he bit out.

A twitch of the lip. "For now, go back to your motel. Rest. Miss Sing here will accompany you."

She smirked down at him.

"I trust you know how foolish it would be to inform the young padawan you've befriended of our arrangement?"

Aiden nodded stiffly.

"Good." Dooku bowed his head ever so slightly. "Then I bid you farewell for now."

The hologram winked out, plunging the room into darkness.

_Bastard._

"Congratulations." Sing shifted her weight onto one hip. "You're now officially an agent of Dooku."

He snorted. "Might as well make them honest, right?"

She smiled, but there was no humor in it. "Don't kid yourself. The Jedi were never honest."

He cocked an eyebrow.

"Come on." She waved for him to follow. "Let's get moving before your Jedi princess starts missing you."

He shook his head, but rose from the cold metal, falling in beside her. As they climbed into her airspeeder and lifted away from the platform, a single thought echoed through his mind as the murky haze of the underworld swallowed them.

_Sorry, Barriss._

OOO

Barriss and Luminara walked out of yet another motel, the people passing by giving them a wide berth as the silver hilts on their belts reflected neon signs cluttering the street.

"I do not believe our fugitive is on this level," Luminara said, looking at a sky-taxi that hummed on a platform. "It would be foolish to seek refuge so close to his point of escape."

Barriss stomped down the flicker of fear that arose in her stomach before Luminara could pick up on it. If... No, _when_ the search expanded to the other levels, there would not be much time to find somewhere safe to move Aiden. The longer she could delay that from happening, the better.

"People do foolish things when they are frightened, Master," she said. _Like forget to eat dinner._ Her belly still rumbled, despite the nutrient bar Master Ti had given her at the temple while waiting for her new communicator. She could only imagine how Aiden must be feeling.

A tingle ran down the back of her neck, like the whisper of a presence, and she glanced behind her.

Food vendors lined the walkway, calling out to the crowds with promises of lower prices than the booth next to theirs. Beings bought and sold, ate and drank, and looked over their shoulders with shifty eyes. She thought she spotted a wide-brimmed hat between two displays of hanging fruit, but she blinked and it disappeared.

"Is something wrong, Barriss?"

She chewed her lip. "I keep feeling we're being watched, Master." Even as she said it, the tingly feeling grew.

Fabric shifted behind her. Luminara swiveling her head, no doubt. "We may not be the only ones searching for young Aiden."

The flicker in her belly rose once more, the image of Aiden sitting alone in a dark room flashing through her mind.

Luminara's communicator beeped, and she pulled the device from her robes, Shaak appearing in the palm of her hand.

"Master Unduli, Barriss." She bowed. "I've just been contacted by the Temple. A human matching Aiden Stari's description was seen running from the scene of a homicide in Uscru district after the shuttle crash yesterday. The victim was another slicer." She pressed a few buttons on her communicator. "It seems too much of a coincidence to not be him. I'm sending you the location now, Ahsoka and I will meet you there."

A lead weight plummeted through Barriss's gut, cold numbness gripping her spine. The troopers at Sunset Heights. Of course they would contact the Jedi.

She closed her eyes.

"Thank you, Master Ti," Luminara said. "Barriss and I will move with haste."

She disconnected the call, and placed the device back in her robes, turning to Barriss. "Come, Padawan. It is possible Dooku's agents are searching for Aiden to silence him before he can be questioned. We have no time to lose."

She marched toward the taxi, the hem of her robe whipping with each step.

Barriss clenched her teeth, following behind Luminara's purposeful stride as her stomach churned. Actually, she _did_ have time to lose.

And she just lost it.

OOO

Digital police lines sectioned off Dak Landon's apartment, bathing the entrance in a faint orange hue as 'Do Not Cross' scrolled between projection stands flanking the door.

Barriss and Luminara passed through the lines, a beep chirping from the sensors.

The stench was worse than she remembered.

Shaak and Ahsoka stood in the living room as investigators and camera droids buzzed around them, Ahsoka trying to look anywhere but at the body.

"What have you learned?" Luminara said, side-stepping an evidence retrieval droid.

"The occupants of the other rooms say they heard the shots yesterday afternoon," Shaak said. "When officers arrived some time later, they spotted a young human running from the room. But, unfortunately, no one witnessed what happened before then."

The evidence retrieval droid rotated its head toward them. "Actually, that is not accurate. At the time of his death, Mister Landon was recording with his data pad. The killer—or _killers_—must not have realized this, and left the data pad behind untouched." The droid's eyes took on an almost sinister glow. "Judging from the angle at which the data pad hung from his hand, it would have gotten excellent video of all who entered and left the apartment."

Ice poured down Barriss's spine, metallic dread sucking the air from her lungs. _Oh, please no._

"Can we see this video, please?" Luminara asked the droid, seemingly too focused to notice her reaction.

Invisible strands wrapped around Barriss's chest, squeezing until she couldn't breathe. They'd see her with Aiden. She'd be arrested. Expelled from the Order!

_Control yourself!_ She crushed the fear back down, forcing her lungs to fill with oxygen once more. If she was to be exposed, it would not be by her own lack of discipline.

"Unfortunately, that is not yet possible," the droid said. "The data pad was keyed to Mister Landon's DNA. As soon as our technicians touched it, it shut down. It will take some time for our own specialists to circumvent the security measures, and gain access."

Her chest untightened slightly. There was time. _Think._

The droid returned to scanning the floor, orange beams from his eyes sweeping to and fro across the room. "Before any of that happens, however, all evidence must be collected and logged." He waved an arm toward a cart by the door.

Items from the apartment sat in plastic baggies on a three-tier hovercart, including the now-inert data pad.

She bit the inside of her cheek, looking between the data pad, and the officer standing next to the cart cataloging all the items on his own device. She was in this now. Perhaps if there had been more time, she could have found a better way than the path that led her here. But she couldn't change what she had done.

And now, she couldn't change what she had to do.

"Master?" She pressed her palm against her belly. "This stench does not sit well with an empty stomach. May I step out, please?"

Luminara looked at her oddly, but nodded. "Of course, Padawan. Return when you are ready."

"Thank you, Master." She bowed, and turned to leave.

Ahsoka hurried to join her, still looking away from the body. "I'll come with you."

She bit back a curse. _Blast it, Ahsoka._ "Thank you, Ahsoka."

They walked toward the door, Barriss's eyes darting around the room desperately as the distance between herself and the cart shrunk with each step. _Think._

"Honestly, I was just looking for a chance to escape," Ahsoka whispered.

A technician appeared in the door, carrying a fragile-looking scanner as big as his torso.

Barriss eyed the man as the officer by the cart stepped back to allow the three of them to pass, and she exhaled quietly, regret and resolve mixing inside her. "So was I, Ahsoka."

Her finger twitched at her side, and the man's toe caught the back of his other foot mid-stride. He cried out, the scanner flying from his hands as he pitched forward, throwing his arms out to catch himself as he fell.

The scanner arced through the air like a starfighter shot out of the sky, smashing to the floor with a loud crash, shattering to pieces on grimy durasteel.

The man thudded after it a second later.

Ahsoka gasped and rushed to his side, electronic components crunching under her boots. "Are you okay?"

He groaned.

The officer by the cart ran a hand down his face. "Blast it, Dellon... Do you have any idea how much that thing cost?"

Ahsoka shot him a dirty look.

The technician sat up, looking from the remains of the scanner, to the officer, to the crowd of people now staring at him, and then back to the scanner again. "I'm... I'm sorry... I don't..."

Ahsoka gently took him by the arm, pulling him up. "It's okay, it could happen to anyone." She tried to smile, but the way her shoulders raised made it look more like a cringe.

He lowered his head.

"Can someone clean up this mess?" the officer called.

Ahsoka gave the technician one last look of sympathy, and rejoined Barriss at the door, the two of them stepping through the police lines and away from the mess.

"Poor guy," Ahsoka said.

Barriss stayed silent, staring straight ahead as they walked.

A data pad tucked under her cloak dug into the small of her back.

Guilt squeezed her heart.

OOO

A few hours later, Aiden and Sing arrived back at his motel, having flown awhile to make sure no one was taking an interest in them, and then ditching the airspeeder a safe distance away from the motel, scurrying the rest of the way through back-alleys like rats trying not to get spotted by the cat.

Which felt appropriate right about now.

She ushered him under the pink letters buzzing above the entrance, her arm draped over his shoulders like a snake's coil.

The nikto behind the counter eyed them as she dragged him toward the rooms, a lecherous smile splitting his scaly face as they passed.

Aiden tasted vomit in the back of his throat.

They came to room twelve, and her arm slid away, leaving a chill in its wake as she turned to him. "Remember." She ran a finger down his cheek. "Not a word. I'll be watching."

His nose wrinkled as if trying to run away from her touch. "How, exactly? I'm gonna be stuck in this room for the foreseeable future." He pointed a thumb to his door.

"Oh, don't worry about that." She sighed demurely. "I'll be right here whenever you need me." She produced a keycard from nowhere and slid it into the door across from his, stepping backward into the shadows of the dark room. "Sweet dreams." She winked as the door sighed shut.

Well. This was going to be fun...

He made a sound in his throat, and turned to enter his room.

"Aiden!"

He flinched and spun around.

Barriss hurried down the hall, a paper bag clenched in her hand and her cloak billowing as she marched toward him.

He froze. _Not good._

"What are you doing outside the room?"

Ice settled in his gut. _Can't lie._ She'd know, and then he'd be done for. "Uh..." He rubbed the back of his neck, glancing at the door across from his. "I just... I needed to get away from the hum."

Technically, that _was_ why he left.

Her eyes bore into his, and he forced himself not to look away, even as his heart pounded in his chest. _Don't think._

She stared at him a few moments longer with that strange look on her face, like she was searching for something hidden in his eyes, and she finally sighed, seeming to deflate. "I'm sorry I took so long. I was selected to search for you along with Master Ti. I couldn't get away."

He nodded, not trusting himself to talk.

She glanced over her shoulder and took him by the arm, pulling him into the room. "Come on. It's not safe for you to be out here."

_No kidding._

The door sighed shut behind them, and she handed him the bag before walking further into the room. "It's not much, but it's the best I could do on short notice."

He tilted his head and reached inside the crinkled paper, pulling out a nerf burger, grease already soaking through the wrapper.

Oh. Right. Food.

His appetite had fallen out of the airspeeder somewhere on the ride over here.

"Thanks." He peeled the wrapper back and took a small bite, chewing slowly.

Her brow wrinkled as she watched him. "I thought you'd be starving."

He shrugged, the hum of the room filling the silence between them. What could he say?

"Well." She reached behind her. "Maybe you'll like this better." She pulled a data pad from under her cloak, holding it up for him to see.

He furrowed his brow as he chewed. "What's that?"

Grim determination steeled her eyes. "This is what you're going to use to expose Palpatine, and make it all worth it."

_Oh. Dooku will be pleased, then._ He smothered the huff that built in his throat. "Great. Can't wait."

"Good," she said. "Then I'd eat faster if I were you, because we're leaving tonight."

He choked, his hand flying to his mouth as a cough wracked his body. "What? Why?" _When did this happen?_

She tossed the data pad onto the couch, sighing. "Because I wasn't thinking ahead, and now we're out of time."

"Meaning..."

"Meaning I'd be shocked if it took them longer than two days to find you here." She walked to the fresher with her head lowered, what little of her face showing from under the edge of her hood pulled into a frown. "Finish eating, Aiden. We're leaving soon, and I don't know where we're going yet."

The door slid shut behind her like a sigh of resignation, and he stared after her, lines creasing his forehead as the burger dripped in his hands. He may not have known her long, but that didn't seem like the tenacious girl who had swept into his life out of nowhere, saved him from a fiery death, and thumbed her nose at the rules while doing it.

He looked at the data pad now resting on a frayed couch-cushion, and the lines creasing his forehead deepened.

_What happened?_

OOO

Gold-embroidered drapes surrounded Palpatine as he sat in his private box in the Galaxies Opera House. His communicator rested on a small table beside him, surrounded by implements of silver containing half-eaten remnants of a Nubian steak. Far below on the stage, twi'lek performers acted out some fable from their people's history.

For the life of him, he couldn't remember the name of it.

His communicator beeped, and he took the device from the table, a lithe figure hidden under the brim of an over-large hat appearing a moment later, burning his eyes in the dark room.

"Speak," he said.

"Got news for ya." A nasally rasp grated through the speakers. "Turns out, one of the Jedi squirreled away your slicer in a run-down dump in Uscru." Rough, blue lips pulled back over razor-sharp teeth. "Led me right to em'."

_So quickly?_ "What are you waiting for? Take care of him immediately."

"He ain't alone in his room like the last one." The grin became sly. "Jedi girl's still in there with him."

Palpatine narrowed his eyes, rubbing his thumb and forefinger together. That would explain many things, but Jedi were not so easily motivated by their own passions.

Though, he could think of one who was.

"Proceed as you see fit," he said, finally. "You may wait to see if she leaves if you hesitate to face a Jedi. But Bane?" His eyes flashed yellow for a moment. "The slicer dies tonight. Regardless of who is with him."

Bane sneered. "No Jedi's gonna stop me. You'll have your corpse."

The image winked out, and Palpatine leaned back in his seat, turning back to the performance as the lead actor drove a prop sword into the antagonist's chest.

A light smile rested on Palpatine's face as the twi'lek sunk to his knees, speaking one final word before falling over, the lead standing over him victoriously.

Before the night ended, all would be made right.

END CHAPTER


	6. Chapter 6

OOO

Chapter Six.

OOO

Barriss straightened her hood, pulling the midnight-colored fabric tight. "Do you have everything?"

Aiden held up Dak's data pad with one hand, and patted his pocket with the other, Barriss's old communicator pressing into his thigh. "Not exactly a lot to keep track of."

She nodded, walking past him toward the room's door. "Let's get moving, then."

She slapped the panel on the frame, and rusty durasteel grinded open.

_Nothing ventured... _He blew out a breath, and followed her out into the hall, glancing at the door across from his. _I wonder what the odds are she won't notice us leave._

"Once we're outside, keep your head down and don't look at anyone," Barriss said.

"Got it."

They passed the front desk, the nikto eyeing them, and Aiden snuck a peek over his shoulder, catching a flash of bone-white skin in the hallway, made ghostly under pale light.

_No rest for the wicked, then._ He tensed his jaw, and ducked his head as pink neon welcomed him onto dark streets once more.

Silence pressed down like a weighted blanket draped over the walkway, smothering what little light that flickered with tingling paranoia that raised the hair on the back of his neck. It wasn't this empty before, was it?

Green fingers wrapped around his upper arm, giving him a tug. "This way." She pulled him toward the shadows of an alley across the street.

He tucked the data pad into a pocket as the mouth of the alley swallowed them, a rat skittering behind a dumpster to his right. "Do you know where we're going yet?"

Her hood hid her face from him, but her grip on his arm tensed. "No, but the others could already be on their way here to look for you. We can't afford to wait until I think of something."

Through the murky fog choking the corridor, a taxi platform appeared beyond the edge of the alley, suspended over a chasm of rising steam.

Not a single taxi could be seen on it.

Barriss slowed, bringing him to a stop with her next to a particularly rank trash heap, and she frowned, chewing her lip.

A chill snaked down his back. _Since when are there no taxis around?_ Come to think of it, there wasn't _anybody_ around. The silence pressed down harder, and he looked over his shoulder. "We walking, then?"

"No, that would take... too... long..." Her voice became distant, and her fingers dug deeper into his arm, tingly numbness shooting through his nerves.

He winced and turned back to her, raising an eyebrow at the back of her hood. "Ouch, Barriss. What—"

She whipped around, cloak swirling like a vortex as she yanked him hard behind her.

He cried out, slamming face-first into grimy duracrete as a snap-hiss sizzled over him, bathing him in a blue glow.

The shriek of a blaster tore the silence, red flashes scorching down from above, clashing against sweeps of azure.

"Run, Aiden!"

Fire crashed through his veins. _You have got to be kidding!_ He planted his hands against the grime, scrambling to his feet as blaster bolts chewed the ground around him. Did that bleached psycho think he ratted her out?

A lanky figure hidden under a wide-brimmed hat emerged from behind a piercing, yellow sign cutting the darkness above them, twin blaster pistols spewing down fire. "Don't let your hormones get you killed, Jedi. All I want's the slicer."

Aiden's teeth clenched. "_Palpatine__,_" he spat.

"Aiden, go!" Barriss's saber was a blur of light, the blade humming frantically as she twirled it faster than he could track. "Now!"

"What about you?"

"_Now!_"

He growled deep in his chest, and glared at the neon-backed silhouette above before turning and sprinting through the fog, his heart hammering against his sternum as the hum of Barriss's saber echoed like an accusation in his ears. _I am getting _really_ sick of running._

The alley split into a four-way intersection of filth and refuse, and a stray bolt shrieked past his head, scorching a smoking trail that stung his nose.

He flinched and clenched his teeth harder as he dove around the corner, sucking musty air into burning lungs with each pounding step. _Stay alive__, Barriss._

Light swept across the mouth of the alley ahead of him, and an airspeeder shot around the corner, swirling the dank mist as it touched down, a familiar ghostly-white figure in the driver's seat.

"Get in." Sing jabbed a thumb at the seat behind her.

This night just got better and better.

He made a sound in his throat, and planted his hands against the cold side of the speeder, lifting a foot over before stopping short. _Barriss..._ He looked back to the alley, the distant fog still lighting up in flashes of red and blue.

"What are you waiting for?" Sing grated.

A strange anger welled inside him, refusing to move. _No. I am _done_ running. _He might have been a rat, but he wasn't a coward, and he wasn't gonna just cut and run like some punk.

Barriss deserved better than that.

"Are you stupid?" Sing said. "Get in the speeder!"

The speeder... He tapped a finger against the metallic siding. He couldn't fight, but maybe he could level the playing field a little...

"Get out," he said, still looking down the alley.

Her voice became dangerous. "Excuse me?"

The anger surged, choking out the last embers of fear in his gut, and he whipped around, glaring at the psycho through furrowed brows. "Get. Out."

Her lips pulled back in a sneer that bared fangs. "I don't know how you think this works, but if you think—"

He grabbed her by her top, fingers clamping around the straps on her shoulders, and he yanked her out of the seat, letting her fall to the ground as he jumped behind the controls. He hit the thruster, and the speeder rumbled under him, lifting into the air.

Sing scrambled to her feet and snarled. "You're dead!"

"Take a number." He brought the speeder around, and rose above the top of the alley.

The creep in the hat hovered like a phantom over a blue glow spilling up from the alley, tiny spurts of flame shooting from his boots as he fired his blasters downward, the blue light shifting with each shot.

_Suck fender, creep. _Aiden pointed the nose of the speeder straight at him, and shoved the accelerator forward. The speeder jolted and launched like a rocket, throwing Aiden back in his seat as the engines screamed.

The creep looked up, and red eyes widened under the brim of the hat.

"Smile, bastard!"

The creep pivoted, darting to the side, and the front end of the speeder smashed into his left foot with a scraping crunch.

A sharp crack and spark shot from the tiny thruster attached to his boot, the flame spurt dying out, and a nasally yell echoed through the night as he burned a winding trail through the air on one thruster, still firing sporadically as he plummeted downward, out of control.

Aiden punched the air. "Yes!"

He brought the speeder back around, and landed between the motel and the alley.

Barriss stood motionless in the blue haze surrounding her, saber humming in her hands as she stared at him like he was a rancor wearing a tutu.

"You coming or what?" he called.

She blinked as if coming back to herself, and ran toward him, cloak billowing behind her as she deactivated her saber.

"Scoot over," she said as she reached him.

He slid over to the passenger side, and she jumped into the driver's seat, seizing the controls. "Where did you get this?"

He froze. "Uh... Does it matter?"

She sighed and shook her head, the speeder rumbling as they rose from the ground.

_Did I misread something?_ "I thought you'd be happy," he said.

"I told you to run. Not to hotwire a speeder and commit vehicular manslaughter."

He raised a finger. "_Defensive_ vehicular manslaughter."

"There's no such thing as—"

A blaster bolt zipped by their faces and slammed into the dashboard.

Aiden's heart jumped, and he spun around.

The creep rocketed toward them, flames shooting from his boot once again, and rage burning in his eyes.

"Barriss!"

She punched the accelerator, and the speeder launched forward, sending his stomach into his throat as neon signs blurred into streams of light. _How is th__e__ creep okay__ after that hit__?!_

Shots cracked against the back of the speeder, punching charred holes through battered metal. "He's going for the engine!"

A bolt smashed through the melted plating, and a muffled pop crackled inside the engine compartment, smoke pouring from the breach.

Alarms rang from the instruments in the dashboard, the displays flashing red, and Barriss grit her teeth as the controls shook in her hands. "We're losing power."

_Oh, joy.__.._"That seems to be what happens when you and I get in a vehicle together," he shouted over the rushing wind.

The speeder pitched to the side, throwing him against cold metal, and a few stray shots sailed over them, streaking into a lane of sky-traffic ahead.

Skycars swerved and jostled as red bolts crashed through the night traffic, and a small transport broke out from the lane, accelerating straight at them.

"We're going down." Barriss strained against the controls, angling the sinking nose of the speeder toward an empty loading dock below.

His stomach flipped, and he dug his fingers into the cracked leather as they plummeted downward, right at a pile of mean-looking shipping containers. "You were right! I shouldn't have come back for you!"

"Hold on tight!"

The engines screeched, and he pinched his eyes shut.

_Crash!_

A crunching jolt slammed through him, the speeder's internal inertia-dampening field making it feel like a charging bantha ramming him into a wall of gelatin. Grinding metal tore through every other sound like a bone-chilling wail piercing his ears, the speeder rattling and scraping under him.

_Crunch!_

He smacked into the dashboard, copper pain shooting through his head. He snapped back, eyes fluttering as warm liquid dripped down his face. _Definitely never getting in a speeder with Barriss again..._

"Aiden!" Hands gabbed him, pulling him over the mangled side of the speeder as blaster bolts smashed and fizzled against the crumpled metal.

He collapsed to the ground, a shard of broken glass from a shattered headlight ripping through his sleeve and sending a lance of searing pain through his arm. He winced and smacked the ground with his palm. _Blast it!_

The tinny rush of mini-thrusters swept nearer. "Big mistake, slicer. Now, it'll be your last."

Barriss ignited her saber and stood over him. "Get up, Aiden."

He pressed his hands into the layer of dust coating the platform, arms burning with protest as he pushed himself to his knees. What he wouldn't give for a blaster right now.

A deep rumble washed out the sound of the creep's jet-boots.

He looked up, and a transport descended through the haze, its side-door sliding open as it angled toward the creep like a capitol ship about to deliver a broadside barrage to an enemy vessel.

His lips parted. _What the..._

An orange blur leaped out of the transport, a green blade exploding to life as she soared through the air, smashing into the creep and sending them both tumbling down as he dropped a blaster and grabbed her wrist, fighting to not get skewered as he wrestled the blade away from his face.

Aiden's eyes widened. "Did you call for backup when I wasn't looking?"

Barriss didn't respond, staring at the lowering transport with more fear than when they were getting shot at.

"Barriss?"

The transport touched down, kicking up clouds of swirling amber, and two figures emerged; Shaak Ti, and the woman he recognized as Barriss's master.

Their eyes locked with his, and his stomach dropped. _Oh, no..._

The creep tucked a leg in, and kicked the orange blur off of him with a grunt.

She arced backward through the air, landing in a crouch between him and Aiden, pulling a second saber from her belt and igniting it. "Hope we're not interrupting, Bane."

Bane sneered. "Skywalker's brat. I shoulda known you'd be part of this somehow."

Two more snap-hisses echoed across the loading dock, Shaak and the other woman igniting their own sabers.

Bane looked at the newcomers, and bared rows of jagged teeth. He turned his blood-red gaze on Aiden, and the veins in his hands popped as he squeezed the life out of his remaining blaster, pivoting and rocketing away as fast as his micro-thrusters would burn, disappearing into the murky night.

Aiden blinked against the warm drops trying to run into his eyes, and looked from the shrinking dots of light to the glowing blades held in the hands of Jedi masters.

_I think I preferred Bane._

The blades disappeared with a hiss, leaving the platform dark, and three Jedi stood before him, looking between him and Barriss with expressions ranging from curiosity, to borderline hostility.

That was it, then. It was over. Barriss could have gotten them away from that creep, but now...

Barriss stood frozen, her lips parted as she stared at her master.

"Padawan..." Something just shy of fear tinged the older woman's voice. "Please, tell me you can explain this."

Barriss's knuckles turned white as she gripped her saber, her breaths coming quick and shallow. "Master... I..." Her eyes flicked to Aiden, to her master, and then to the transport now sitting idle across the platform.

"Padawan?"

Aiden's brow pinched.

"Padawan, I asked you a—"

Barriss looked at her, and her brow quivered. "I'm sorry, Master." She shoved her hands forward, and all three Jedi flew back like they got struck by an invisible speeder, tumbling across the loading dock as their sabers clattered to the ground.

Aiden's jaw dropped, and Barriss's hand clamped around his arm. "Come on!"

She grabbed him and lept through the air toward the transport, his stomach twisting. "Whoa!"

They flew into the open side-door, and he hit the floor of the passenger compartment with a thud, Barriss already disappearing into the cockpit.

"Padawan!" A cry echoed outside.

The shuttle rumbled, and a glimpse of whipping black robes appeared in a cloud of amber before the side-door slid shut with a metallic clang.

His body pulsed with fear and adrenaline. Was Barriss really doing this?

The hum of the engines shot to a higher pitch, and the shuttle catapulted forward, throwing him to the side with gasp.

Yes. Yes she was.

He planted his hands against the grated metal, and grasped the edge of one of the seats lining the compartment, pulling himself up against the g-force and stumbling to the cockpit.

Barriss sat in the pilot's seat, body rigid as she stared straight ahead, navigating through the dank fog of the underworld like a submarine diving through the depths.

He huffed out a breath of laughter and plopped down into the copilot's chair, wiping a drop that threatened to find his eye before turning to her. "I seriously underestimated how—"

Wide, violet eyes stared through the glass without actually looking at anything. Tension radiated off of her like heatwaves.

He stopped short, lines creasing his brow, and he tentatively leaned toward her. "...Barriss?"

Her brow quivered, and a quiet whisper through parted lips hit him harder than anything else that night.

"What have I done?"

END CHAPTER


	7. Chapter 7

OOO

Chapter Seven.

OOO

Silence filled the cockpit. Wisps of fog the color of old moss washed across the glass as the shuttle sunk aimlessly deeper into the underworld.

Barriss sat totally still at the helm, knuckles white as she gripped the controls, her jaw tensing every few moments.

A tingly knot coiled around Aiden's stomach, unease squeezing his gut. Barriss had never looked this shaken before, and the sight of it bothered him more than he would have thought.

He tentatively reached toward her. "Barriss?"

"Don't." Her voice cut like a poison-dipped dagger.

He flinched back. "...Barriss?"

"I told you to run," she said quietly.

His brow knit, and the unease in his belly grew like tendrils of a vine sprouting up through his torso. "What?"

"I told you to run!" Her voice cracked. "Instead, you tried to play hero and come 'rescue' me! And now, because of you, I'm going to be expelled from the Order!" The skin around her eyes crinkled, and her chest heaved.

The tendrils coiled around his heart, spreading a cold numbness through him that settled like a lead weight in his gut. "You were squaring off with an armed maniac who could fly! What was I supposed to do? Just leave you there and hope for the best?"

"I would have been fine!" She threw her arms out to the sides. "I face deadly enemies every day! But now, because of you, I've just thrown my entire life away!" Watery regret filled her eyes, and she lowered her head, her voice a broken murmur that slapped him harder than a shout. "I threw my life away..."

Her shoulders shook silently, and the tendrils clamped around his heart, accusing him with each beat. He searched desperately for something to say, but all he found waiting for him was a horrible feeling clawing through him, choking the words right out of him. All he had wanted to do was repay her for everything she had done for him, and it blew up in his face just like everything else in his life had.

And she's the one who got caught in the blast.

Her quiet sobs hitched in the silence of the cabin, more and more weight crushing down on him each time her breath caught, and for the second time in his life, he felt truly lost with nowhere to go. If she didn't want him to try to comfort her, the least he could do was get out of her face so she didn't have to look at him.

He stood from the copilot's chair, and shuffled to the exit, stomach churning. He paused at the exit, placing a hand on the doorframe, and let his mouth speak without clearing it with his mind.

"I'm... I'm sorry," he said, not daring to look back at her for fear of what might be waiting for him.

What he would deserve.

He walked out of the cockpit, feeling like he had been completely drained and emptied out. He slumped down into one of the seats lining the passenger compartment, and Dak's data pad stabbed him from the pocket it rested in.

He flinched and grit his teeth, yanking the stupid thing out and drawing his arm back like a pitcher ready to hurl the hardest fastball of his life.

_Barriss..._

He froze mid-throw, clamping his fingers on the hard plastisteel casing like his life depended on it. She got this for him to use. She stole it for _him_.

He wasn't stupid. There was only one way Barriss could have gotten Dak Landon's data pad, and it wasn't by asking permission. Just another compromise she had made for him. Just another effort of hers he almost ruined by smashing it across the room.

He sighed long and slow, bringing the data pad down to his lap and holding it in both hands. The look of fire in Barriss's eyes that night in the motel room flashed through his mind, her words echoing after. _This is what you're going to use to expose Palpatine, and make it all worth it._

He brushed a thumb across the display, 'access denied' flashing for a brief moment before going dark again. The blank screen stared up at him, as if saying: 'What are you going to do about it?'.

He cast a glance toward the cockpit.

Faint hitches of breath from the only person who had ever been good to him floated into the passenger compartment, and a new feeling surged through him, pushing back against the emptiness that grew like a cavern inside him.

Barriss would get her life back. He owed her that much. And if Palpatine went down in the process, well... That was just giving the bastard what was owed _him_, too.

His jaw tensed, and he nodded to himself, turning back to the data pad with a new purpose and preparing to launch his first wave of assault on the lockout system. _I'll make it worth it, Barriss._

_I swear it._

OOO

The inky Coruscant twilight filtering through the Council Chamber windows was broken up only by the faint dots of light moving lazily from one end of the night sky to the other behind the gathered master's heads.

Tension lurked under the surface of the room, adding unspoken meaning to every glance and flick of the eye that passed between those present.

Shaak Ti, Ahsoka Tano, and Luminara Unduli stood in the center of the circular chamber, Ahsoka looking lost as she stood between the two masters, confusion and hurt etched across her face.

Luminara simply stared ahead, her face a mask of calm.

"Perhaps it was a mistake to send Barriss to search, after all," Mace said, casting a glance at Yoda.

Yoda frowned, absently running a finger back and forth along a groove in his walking stick.

"Is it possible Barriss has joined Count Dooku?" Ki-Adi Mundi said.

Luminara's eyes flashed, piercing the mask of calm she had maintained thus far. "No."

A fresh wave of silence washed over the chamber.

Obi-Wan cleared his throat, and spoke as carefully as he could. "Is it possible she and this slicer have become... Involved?"

All eyes turned to Luminara.

She stared back at Obi-Wan, and finally, her gaze fell to the floor. "I don't know."

Ahsoka scrunched her forehead.

The chamber doors opened, and a padawan hurried in. He stopped in the center of the room, next to Ahsoka, and bowed to the seated Council members.

"Masters," he said, slightly out of breath. "Forgive the intrusion, but Chancellor Palpatine has requested an immediate meeting. He says it cannot wait."

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow, and Mace's jaw tensed.

A rare sigh rattled in Yoda's throat. "Meet with him, we will."

OOO

Palpatine's thumb and forefinger ground together in a vicious circle as he smashed them together so hard, the veins in his hands bulged.

The remains of a communicator lay broken against the far wall of his office.

Bane would pay for this incompetence. The slicer would die. By Palpatine's own hand if necessary. The little cretin had caused far too much trouble for such an insignificant worm. Nevertheless, every unexpected development—no matter how _unpleasant_—was nothing more or less than an opportunity to be forged into advantage.

And he had built a career on forging circumstance into advantage.

The intercom on his desk lit up. "The Councilors have arrived, your Excellency."

"Send them in." He exhaled slowly, and buried his rage deep. He then lifted his hand and pulled the smashed communicator to himself, tucking the evidence of his wrath into his robes and folding his hands on the desk—the picture of calm reason.

The door hissed open, and Masters Yoda and Windu walked in.

He rose and inclined his head stiffly. "Masters."

Mace bowed just as stiffly. "Your Excellency."

Yoda pulled himself into one of the two red velvet chairs with a grunt, folding his legs under him and leaning on his walking stick, peering over his knuckles at Palpatine. "Unusual it is to call for such an urgent meeting, Chancellor."

Palpatine stared right back at him. "It's also unusual for a Jedi to aid separatist agents."

Mace narrowed his eyes. "You're well informed, Chancellor. We only learned of it an hour ago."

"Yes. I am." He waited to see if either of them would speak further. Neither did, and he continued. "What are we going to do about this, Master Jedi? This does not reflect well on the Jedi Order. Especially with public sentiment toward the Jedi as mixed as it is. If news were to leak that a Jedi was responsible for freeing a separatist agent... Who knows what actions might be taken."

Now even Yoda narrowed his eyes at him.

Mace openly shot daggers. "Are you threatening us, Chancellor?"

"Not at all, Master Windu." Palpatine smiled faintly. "I wish to spare the Jedi from any political backlash this news might cause." He lowered himself into his seat and leaned back, lacing his fingers in front of his face. "I think it would be best if the hunt for Aiden Stari was taken over completely by the SBI to prevent any accusations of conflict of interest being leveled against your Order."

Mace remained standing and looked down at him, folding his hands in his robes. "There _is_ no conflict."

"Of course not, Master Windu. Nevertheless, public sentiment is a very real factor to consider in these matters."

"The best chance of locating him, the Jedi have."

"You also have a good chance of turning the public against you if it comes out that one of your Order was involved in recent events." A hard gleam cut behind his eyes. "I would hate for that to happen, Master Jedi."

Yoda's clawed fingers pressed ever so slightly into his walking stick.

"If you want to speak of recent events, Chancellor," Mace said. "I'd like to discuss the sabotage of the transport shuttle at our Temple. The only one we informed of the transfer was you. And the very next morning, someone manages to infiltrate the Temple hangar and plant an explosive charge on the craft before takeoff." Mace stared down at him. "Do you have any thoughts on how that could be?"

Palpatine gazed back passively. "The young Jedi who whisked Aiden Stari out of your grasp tonight; she was also the one aboard the transport shuttle when it went down, correct?"

The two Jedi remained silent.

A ghost of a smile haunted his face. "Then it appears her treachery runs deeper than anyone suspected." He turned to some forms on his desk waiting to be signed, and began looking over them. "It's _your_ Order's reputation on the line; it's your decision. I merely wished to make you aware of some of the farther-reaching consequences of dogmatism in this instance. Good day, Master Jedi."

He spared them no further attention as he began adding his signature to the forms.

Anger radiated from Mace like surging flames, barely restrained.

He buried the smile that tugged at his lips.

Finally, Yoda climbed down from the chair without a word. The clacking of his walking stick faded toward the door, and Mace turned and followed after him a moment later, the door hissing shut behind them.

Palpatine set the form down, and leaned back in his seat, lacing his fingers together once more. The trap had been laid, and the path leading to it cleared. For all their _wisdom_, the Jedi never did seem to recognize pitfalls until they were at the bottom of them.

The corner of his lip pulled. Yoda was correct about one thing, however.

A Jedi did indeed have the best chance of finding the little cretin.

He reached for the intercom on his desk. "Kaala, bring a new communicator to my office immediately. I need to make a call."

OOO

The stabbing light of Dak's data pad burned Aiden's retinas in the dark passenger compartment, the lines of code scrolling down the display blurring and melding together into gibberish as the hours passed. His eyes had begun to feel scratchy hours ago, but he refused to give them a rest until he made some sort of progress on the first level of security locking him out of the data pad.

Dak Landon was one paranoid son of a bantha.

"Aiden." Barriss's quiet voice floated out of the cockpit.

He blinked and looked up from the pad, taking a moment to realize Barriss was calling for him. He set the data pad down on the seat next to him, and ran a hand down his face, blinking away the outline of the display burned into his vision before shuffling to the cockpit and peeking his head in.

"Yeah?"

Thick haze choked the view outside the cockpit window, painting the sludge-covered excuse for a landing pad in front of them in a vomitous mist.

How many levels deep _were_ they?

Barriss didn't turn around, but simply gestured to the copilot's chair without much enthusiasm. "I need you to lock in the landing gear while I bring us down."

"Sure." He lowered himself into the chair, looking at the panel in front of him. "Which one's the landing gear?"

She pointed to a lever.

He grasped the lever and eased it back, the shuttle rumbling as they lowered to the ground, touching down with a small jolt.

The hum of the engines dimmed, and the whine faded away, compressed steam slithering out of exhaust ports beneath the ship and weaving together with the obscuring haze like a ghastly, ethereal dance.

He wrinkled his nose. "Where are we?"

Barriss powered down the engines, and stared out the glass as if the desolate ruins of her life stared back at her.

"Our new home."

END CHAPTER


	8. Chapter 8

OOO

Chapter Eight.

OOO

The slimy stench carried by the haze of the underworld slithered through Aiden's sinuses and squeezed his throat like a sour hand as he and Barriss stepped onto the landing pad, the shuttle's side door scraping shut behind them.

Barriss pulled her hood tight over empty, violet eyes, and began walking without a word.

He grimaced, and followed behind her, biting back the questions building on his tongue. _Don't piss her off anymore than you already have._

She led him to a taxi platform, walking past the taxis with sentient drivers, and opened the passenger door of an automated taxi before climbing in and scooting over until he had enough room to slide in next to her, his pants sticking to the mystery stains coating the piece of junk.

She stared at the destination input screen and frowned, lines creasing her forehead.

He looked between her and the screen. "...Barriss?"

"We have no money, I don't know this region, and we need somewhere to stay."

He rubbed his neck and glanced out the window. "Why can't we just use the transport?"

"It's Republic commissioned. It has trackers. And even if it didn't, it's too high-profile. It would draw too much attention."

_I really hoped she wouldn't have good reasons._ He bit his cheek before closing his eyes and breathing out, shaking his head. _You got her into this mess__; you're a bastard if you don't say anything._ He still rubbed his neck "I know someone..." _Someone I swore to myself I'd never go back to._

She looked at him for the first time since their argument in the transport cockpit. "Who?"

"What level are we on?"

"Fourteen fifty-three."

His hand dropped from his neck, and he crossed his arms. "He's not too many levels away, then. Punch in level thirteen-ninety."

She typed the destination into the screen, and the taxi lifted from the platform, rotating around and descending through the fog with a deep rumble.

Aiden glared out the window, or maybe at his reflection in the window, drumming his fingers on his bicep.

If Barriss had not been watching him, she might have noticed an unassuming speeder break away from a parking dock and fall in behind them.

OOO

Sixty-three levels later, a seedy-looking cantina filled the viewscreen of the taxi—green neon in the shape of twi'lek dancers cutting through the fog like writhing specters.

The taxi shuddered as they touched down, and Barriss killed the engine, staring through the glass with a slight wrinkle creasing the inky diamonds on her nose.

"I don't want to be here, either." Aiden leaned back, arms still crossed as a rodian stumbled out of the cantina, skin glistening under the glow as he slid his shoulder against the wall to keep from falling over.

"What is this place?"

"A bad memory." He shook his head. "Or _dream_." He pushed the taxi door open, and climbed out without another word.

She furrowed her brow at the back of his head, and then climbed out after him.

They passed under the glow, Barriss tucking her saber in the small of her back under her cloak, and the murky haze of the underworld gave way to throbbing bass notes pulsing through a seedy hive darker than the night outside, if possible.

Aiden huffed. _If it brings in the money, why change it?_

"Hey, baby," a slightly slurred call floated over from the bar. "If I guess how many of those diamonds you got under there, will you give me a peek?"

Guffaws and chortles of laughter erupted around the voice, and Barriss's jaw tensed.

Aiden took a step toward them, but she grabbed his arm, shaking her head.

Another voice boomed over the guffaws. "Call to the dancers all you want, but if you start harassing the female patrons, I'll throw you out on the seat of your pants."

The guffaws died down.

_I forgot how much I hate this place. _Aiden grit his teeth, and pulled Barriss deeper into the cantina, toward the flashing lights and obnoxious blaring of the gambling games draining marks of their credits in the section boldly labeled: 'The Chance Lounge' in equally obnoxious neon.

Barriss flicked her eyes toward him.

A round, but well dressed man stood at the head of the Chance Lounge, dabbing the few hairs that still sprouted from his glistening scalp with a handkerchief as he surveyed the den with a faint upturn to his lips. He spotted them approaching, and his gaze settled on Aiden.

_Here we go..._ Aiden blew out a breath.

The man's eyes widened, and he tucked the handkerchief into a pocket, walking down like a king descending from his throne to meet them.

"Aiden?!" He looked Aiden up and down like he was seeing a ghost. "Is that you? What happened to your face, kid? You look like hell."

Aiden forced a smile. "Thanks, Jax. Been awhile."

"'A while'? Boy, it's been years." He clapped Aiden on the shoulder. Hard. "What are you doing back down here? You get tired of fresh air or somethin'?"

Aiden rubbed his tingling shoulder. "Something like that."

Jax' belly jiggled with a laugh. "Well you came to the right place to get away from it. What'll you have?"

Aiden glanced at Barriss. "Actually... We need a place to stay."

The smile fell from Jax' face. "Ah... Well... That's a bit of a problem then, isn't it?" He peered at them. "'Cause that didn't exactly sound like you'll be able to pay for it."

_As classy as ever, you greasy bastard._

Barriss raised a brow at him.

Aiden waved a hand toward the gambling machines chiming around them. "No one can rig your machines like I can. You know that. The extra money you make from these suckers will be more than the price of a room." _And definitely more than you deserve._

Jax ran his thumb and forefinger over his lip, but not quickly enough to hide the twitch of a smile that flashed across his face. "Hmm..." His gaze flicked over to Barriss, and he looked her up and down. "And what services does your lady friend here provide?"

Her eyes narrowed.

"A quick and violent death if you continue that line of thought," Aiden said.

Jax stared at him, and then burst out laughing, clapping him on the shoulder once more. "Man, I've missed you, kid." He jerked his head toward a hallway across the den, and beckoned them to follow. "Come on, right this way."

Barriss looked at Aiden, unreadable violet boring into him, and he lowered his head, following behind Jax as much to avoid her gaze as get to the room. _This was a mistake._

Jax led them through the hallway, and stopped at one of the doors lining the wall. "Here you go, room number twelve."

Aiden buried the huff that built in his throat.

The door slid open, and Jax showed them inside, pointing out the important parts of the dimly-lit room before stepping back out into the hall. "It's late, so we'll work out the particulars of our arrangement tomorrow. Have fun, you two." He gave Aiden a conspiratorial wink, and shut the door.

Silence filled the space between them as Barriss's eyes still drilled into him, and he suddenly felt very tired. Dull pressure pounded through his skull like it was competing with the faint bass notes seeping through the walls, and he closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead, dried blood scratching his palm like tiny mountain peaks. _Well. Now what?_

The bathroom faucet turned on and off, and he looked up.

Barriss walked toward him with a damp hand-towel dripping in her hand.

He blinked. When did she start moving for the bathroom?

She gestured to the bed behind him. "Sit down."

He looked at the edge of the mattress tickling the back of his knees, and whatever energy he still had drained out of him as he found himself sinking down onto the sheets without meaning to.

Barriss stood in front of him, and gently pressed the damp towel to his head, a few cold drops dripping down his face. Cool waves radiated from the cloth, washing through him like a pain-numbing breeze.

He closed his eyes and exhaled, leaning into her touch. He didn't realize how much he was actually hurting.

"You're lucky you don't have a concussion."

He quirked his lip. "I thought Jedi didn't believe in luck."

She didn't respond, continuing to dab his forehead silently.

The smile slid from his face, and he sighed. "I'm sorry, Barriss."

She set the cloth down, and walked over to the minibar. "Take your shirt off."

He paused. "...What?"

"Your arm."

He looked down at the red-stained slash tattering his sleeve. _Oh. Right. The headlight._

She pulled a bottle of whiskey from a shelf, and returned to him as he set the shirt aside. "Hold out your arm."

She poured the whiskey straight into the gash, and searing fire erupted in the wound, lancing through his arm like liquid flames.

"Agh!" He flinched and clamped his molars together savagely as pain scorched through him, hissing through gritted teeth.

Her lip twitched.

"Oh, so _that_ makes you smile."

She place the cap back onto the bottle. "Just a little." She laid the bottle on the bed, and began examining the days-old bacta patch covering the blaster-wound on his breast, carefully working the adhesive edges away from his skin in the dim lighting.

Her violet orbs were still haunted by the fresh ghost of what happened, but seemed slightly clearer as she worked on him, submerged in something she knew.

What she had been training to do as a Jedi.

A whisper of that horrible feeling from the shuttle cockpit echoed through him, and he looked away. "I'm going to make it worth it, Barriss."

"I know. I heard you."

He furrowed his brow. "What?"

"In the shuttle, after you left," she explained. "I heard you."

His brow pinched harder. "But... I didn't say it out loud... We weren't even in the same _room_."

"I know."

He blinked. "I thought it was just masters and stuff who could do that."

She didn't respond, but finished pulling the bacta patch from his skin.

"So... Are you some kind of prodigy or something?"

"No, I—" She sighed and wadded up the patch, grabbing the whiskey bottle from the bed. "Look, I don't know why I heard you so clearly. Can we talk about something else, please?"

She tossed the wrinkled patch into a waste bin by the nightstand, and sat in a chair against the far wall, staring down at the bottle in her hands.

He watched her run her thumb over the label, and he chewed his lip. What could he say that wouldn't piss her off? The scarred-over blaster mark on his chest itched without the bacta patch covering it, and he absently rubbed it. "...So, what were you doing in the underworld, anyway?"

She looked at him. "What?"

"When I got this." He tapped the blaster scar. "And you saved me. What were you even doing down there?"

"Oh." Her gaze fell back to the glass in her hands. "I was assisting the Peacekeepers while my master was away on a mission."

"The Peacekeepers?"

She breathed out a sigh, and lowered her head into a hand, the bottle hanging limply from the other. "Aiden, please..."

Her whisper slammed into him like a punch to the gut, stopping him cold. The hint of that horrible feeling wasn't just a faint wisp anymore. Now it screamed inside him with a vengeance. What in the blazes was wrong with him? Did he really think she would want to talk about the Jedi? How stupid could he be?

"You're not stupid, Aiden," she murmured. "You just need to learn when silence is the best choice."

He could take a hint.

He swallowed, his tongue sticking to the roof of his mouth, and he stood from the bed, shuffling over to the couch. He collapsed like a limp marionette into the faded leather, and draped his uninjured arm over his eyes, exhaling quietly. Tomorrow was going to be a long, long day.

As he drifted off, all he could do was shake his head as a mental sigh floated through his mind.

_At least it can't get any worse than this._

OOO

The oily tendrils of midnight creeped through the windows of Palpatine's office. A night so dark it seemed to drain the light from the room like a black hole looming over the city.

Palpatine gripped the black fabric of his sith robes, and pulled the hood low over his face, taking his new communicator and holding it in the palm of his hand.

The flickering, pale image of Dooku appeared a moment later, the dark noble kneeling before him. "What is thy bidding, my Master?"

Cracked lips pulled back as Palpatine gazed down at the image of submission. "Rise, lord Tyranus."

Dooku straightened, but kept his head inclined.

"It was foolish to place faith in a mere bounty hunter. I will not make the same mistake a second time." Yellow irises glowed under the shadow of a hood. "You will find this slicer. And you will destroy him."

Dooku's gaze shot up to meet his for the first time, lips parting ever so slightly. "Surely that is not wise, my Master..."

Palpatine's eyes became slits of lava. "Do not presume to inform me of what is wise, and what is not, my _apprentice_."

Dooku pressed his lips together tightly, and inclined his head once more. "Of course not, my Master."

Cold anger simmered behind the fiery orbs gazing down at the image that now seemed quite a bit less submitted. "Great distance can provide feelings of safety, Count Dooku. I assure you, such feelings are a lie."

Dooku's jaw tensed. "I will kill the slicer as you command. Though, it may be difficult to hide my presence on Coruscant."

"Then do not hide it."

Dooku looked up once again.

"You will locate this slicer, and you will take him from Coruscant alive. And when you do, you will let yourself be known."

The lines etched in Dooku's face deepened. "But... Why?"

"I have viewed this little cretin as the enemy he is. But it has been my failure to not recognize the value of such an enemy." A hard gleam cut behind his eyes. "We have gathered the nails necessary for the Jedi Order's coffin. But perhaps the slicer will be the hammer that begins driving those nails in.

A faint smile twisted the gleam into something more sinister. "The Jedi have already begun digging their own grave. We need only to ensure it does not go unfilled."

Dooku frowned, and spoke almost to himself. "And I am to take him alive..."

"He will live only long enough to serve his purpose, and then you will see to his long-overdue demise."

Dooku's lip twitched for but a moment. A fleeting glimpse of a smile snuffed out the same instant it appeared. "It will be done."

He bowed his head, and the kneeling image winked out, taking all the light in the room with it.

Unease descended like an unwelcome visitor, creeping through the back of Palpatine's mind with beckoning whispers too faint to discern.

His eyes narrowed, and the whispers morphed into a projection screen playing the conversation over and over again before him.

He stood alone in the darkness for a long time, his thumb and forefinger rubbing together in a circle. His lip occasionally curling in a half-sneer.

END CHAPTER


	9. Chapter 9

OOO

Chapter Nine.

OOO

A strange, rushing sound cut through the sleepy grog smothering Aiden's mind, drawing him from the muddled darkness like a thousand hushed voices calling to him.

Something tickled against his neck.

His eyes creaked open, and the dim luminators embedded in an all-too-familiar ceiling filtered through the morning blur, carrying the memories of yesterday with them.

_S__o it begins..._ Something between a sigh and a groan passed through his lips, and he dug his elbows into rough leather, pushing himself up. Something warm and soft slid down his torso as he sat up, and he looked down.

Barriss's cloak lay crumpled in his lap, and a chill swept across his chest as cool air greeted freshly exposed skin.

A bandage wrapped around the gash in his arm.

He blinked. Had he really been that tired, or was Barriss really that sneaky?

A metallic squeak pierced from the bathroom, and the rushing sound cut off.

He ran a hand down his face and set her cloak aside, swinging his legs over the edge of the couch. His body ached for a hot shower of his own, but he'd probably end up paying for it if he indulged before heading out. The longer he waited, the more time Jax had to think of more things to add to their agreement.

_Bastard's list is probably already longer than the line of people waiting to kill me._

He brushed his fingers through his hair and glanced around for his shirt, spotting it lying on the non-slept-in side of the bed, next to a mass of tangled sheets leftover from a restless night of tossing and turning.

His stomach twinged, and he grabbed the blood-stained shirt and shrugged it on.

The bathroom door opened, and Barriss emerged from the wisps of steam spilling out of the threshold, misty tendrils dancing around her as they evaporated away. Without the hood of her cloak covering her head, locks of purple so dark, they could pass for black fell across her face, the wet strands sticking to her damp skin.

Her violet eyes locked with his, and she tucked the strands behind her ear, raising a brow at him.

He blinked and tore his gaze from her hair, settling on Dak's data pad on the coffee table. He cleared his throat and gestured to the device. "I'll, uh, work on unlocking it after I see Jax. I shouldn't keep him waiting too long, you know?"

She nodded, but didn't say anything.

He drummed his fingers against his thigh. "All right, then... See you." He dipped his chin, and scurried out the door, the metal sighing behind him. Or maybe _at_ him.

_I'm just a natural-born conversationalist, aren't I?_ He shook his head and started walking.

_Just find out what the pig wants, get it done quick, and then get to work on cracking that data pad._

He steeled himself with a nod and an exhale, and pushed his way through the neon maze of The Chance Lounge toward Jax' office, unaware of the eyes that followed him the whole way.

OOO

Cool air brushed across Barriss's damp skin like icy fingers as Aiden walked out the door, leaving her standing alone in the room.

_I'm just a natural-born conversationalist, aren't I?_ She heard it as clearly as if he had whispered it into her ear.

A tingly knot sprouted in her gut. This was not right. She had detected thoughts and emotions in others before, to be sure, but not like this. Not with such clarity. She could not even hear Master Unduli with such clarity. And yet, not even one month after meeting him, Aiden might as well be speaking his thoughts out loud to her?

Echoes of her bond with Luminara passed through her like a lost memory, and the twinge of pain their bond now held squeezed her heart once more.

Her eyes involuntarily flicked to the tangled sheets entwining the mattress before she slammed them closed, blowing out a breath as if expelling the thoughts of her master—and the emotions they brought with them. It had taken the entire shower to clear her mind. She would not fall back into despair so quickly.

She released the breath fully, her shoulders sinking back down to their normal resting posture, and she opened her eyes again, looking from the bed to the couch. The midnight fabric of her cloak draped over the backrest like rippling onyx.

Her brow pinched, and she chewed the inside of her cheek. It wasn't like this with Aiden before, what changed? She could discern easily that he was telling the truth when they first spoke in the Temple, and again when they spoke on the prisoner transport, but that didn't mean anything. Every other Jedi could... too...

Lines etched through her brow, and her lips parted slightly, a thought so outrageous it defied the realm of possibility crashing into her.

What if the others _couldn't_ tell he was being honest?

Something flickered inside her, and their conversation from the Uscru motel flashed through her mind: _"You're not lying. If I know that, they certainly would have__,__ as well. Why would they then __turn you over to the Chancellor without investigating? It doesn't make any sense."_

It would if they _couldn't_ discern he was telling the truth.

She huffed and shook her head, pacing back and forth as she weaved her fingers together in front of her. It wasn't possible. She was just a padawan, likely years away from the trials—was she truly considering that she was more perceptive than Masters Ti, Kenobi, and Windu?

Even Master _Unduli_ met Aiden briefly, and she didn't show any sign of...

_Master Unduli..._ She stopped in her tracks, her brow pinching harder. The only other person she had ever heard as clearly as she was now hearing Aiden was Luminara, and that was only because of the bond they shared. But she shared no such bond with Aiden... She _couldn't_ share such a bond with Aiden...

...Could she?

Her eyes narrowed. When they first met in the Temple, she could detect his honesty as clearly as daylight, certainly. And as their time together grew, his emotions became... something she was aware of whether she meant to be or not. But she couldn't hear him _think_. And nothing that had happened between their first meeting in the Temple and now could have possibly created a bond between—

The flicker inside her grew, and a thought struck her, her eyes widening.

But they _didn't_ first meet in the Temple... They met in the underworld. When she saved him from dying.

The Chronicles of the Healers spoke of bonds being formed when a Jedi healed another, but such a thing had not been heard of in millennia. And even then, it was always between two Jedi, not a Jedi and a... Street rat.

She shook her head. And if that _were_ somehow the case, why could she not hear him in the Temple, or in the Uscru motel? Why now?

A flash exploded in her mind, and her time with Aiden engulfed her vision like a storm of images:

_Her hair falling loose from her hood, spilling across her face as she knelt over the dying street-urchin, smoke rising from his chest, stinging her widened eyes as she raced to preserve the flicker of life within him before he breathed his last into the murky haze._

And after, she knew his honesty when no one else could.

_Sirens wailing through the blood-washed transport, screams adding their piercing cry to the shriek of the engines. A burst of azure. Aiden clutched tight against her, enveloping him, bearing the glass for him._

And after, she felt his emotions as if they were her own.

_Glowing blades illuminating the platform, her master's eyes on her. A choice to be made._

_She chose Aiden._

She saved him in the underworld. She saved him from the crashing shuttle. And now...

Her lips parted, and horrible realization drove the air from her lungs as the flicker in her belly surged like a flame inside her:

She saved him from her own master, and now his thoughts were as though he spoke them to her.

The flame shot up through her chest, suffocating her with burning embers engulfing her lungs with each breath. Somehow, someway... a bond had formed between her and Aiden on that musty taxi platform in the underworld.

And she had done everything that could possibly be done to strengthen it.

She stood motionless, the fiery torrent thrashing inside her as she tried to deny it, even as it grew more and more intense with each passing moment.

_It can't be so..._

Tentatively, almost fearfully, she searched herself for something that should not be there. _Must_ not be there...

Aiden's voice filled her mind. _Well, I didn't think it was possible, Jax, but you're even more obnoxious than I remember._ His frustration and disgust crashed through her like a tidal wave, almost knocking her back with its potency.

She flinched and slammed the bond shut, her heart pounding against her sternum as she drew in a sharp breath.

This couldn't be real. It wasn't right. She needed to think. No, she needed to _not_ think. She needed...

The polished silver of her saber-hilt caught a shard of light from one of the luminators above, and it flashed on her belt for a brief moment.

She needed to move. To _do_ something. She grasped her lightsaber, fingers clamping around the cool metal like a life-line, and she slid into the opening stance of the fourth kata.

The azure blade burst from the hilt with a snap-hiss, and her violet orbs locked onto the deadly glow that trembled in shaking hands.

And she didn't think anymore.

OOO

The blaring machines. The flashing lights. The constant alcohol-fueled murmur singing backup for them. It was tolerable for a short time.

That time had ended two hours ago.

Aiden consciously un-grit his teeth for the fourth time as another sweaty cantina-rat bumped past him, some of whatever sludge the man was drinking splashing onto Aiden's shoes. He pressed his lips together, and reattached the back panel of the gambling game, the machine lighting up once more and chiming its ear-splitting sound.

_That's it. I'm done for today. I don't care what Jax thinks about it._

He ran his sleeve across his forehead, and made a bee-line for Jax' office, jostling through the heat of the crowds that burned his nose like rotten spice. _At least I don't feel like I'm being watched, anymore_. He peeked his head in Jax' door and coughed, and Jax looked up from his desk.

"I'm done for now, I gotta get somethin' to eat."

Jax glanced at his chrono and cocked an eye at him, but nodded, turning back to the ledgers scattered across the desk. "Alright, same time tomorrow."

Aiden bit back what he wanted to say, and simply returned the nod before pivoting and marching back toward the rooms. _Just keep your head down and crack that blasted data pad. _The sooner he got into Dak's data pad, the sooner he and Barriss could get out of this lousy cesspit.

The droning murmur of the lounge faded into the background as he made it into the door-lined hallway. He set his sights on room twelve, and picked up his pace as he passed by room eleven's open door. _Never thought I'd be relieved to—_

A ghostly-white hand shot out, and skeletal fingers clamped around the collar of his shirt, balling up the fabric in a clenched fist and yanking him into room eleven, slamming him against the wall.

His head smacked against dark metal, black dots exploding in his vision, and he grunted, grabbing the bony wrists. _What the!_

"You thought you could slip away from me that easily?" Sing leaned in, her hot breath slithering across his face. "You're a dead man."

Frozen weight plummeted through his gut, and his finger nails dug into her wrists. "Sing?! What the blazes are you doing?"

She pulled him back and slammed him into the wall again, copper pain piercing his skull. "Did you honestly think I wouldn't follow you? That you could just run away with your little Jedi princess and—"

A communicator on her belt chirped.

Her eyes flicked to the device, and her lip curled into a sneer before she turned her glare back on Aiden. She took the device into one hand, still gripping Aiden's collar with the other. "_Don't_ move..."

He shot daggers at her.

The pale image of Dooku appeared in her hand, bathing them in an eerie, blue glow. "Sing." He stopped, looking between her and Aiden, and raised a brow at her clenched fist around his collar. "I see you are already with our young friend. Am I interrupting something?"

"Just explaining to the waste how this arrangement works."

A twitch of a mustache. "Indeed. Then your timing is impeccable. The time has come to take our first step against the Chancellor, and we take it now." Something gleamed in his eye. "The Chancellor will be addressing the Senate late into the night this evening, leaving his personal suite quite empty. We will not let such an invitation pass us by."

Aiden's blood chilled, and a sense of unease he had come to dread creeped up through his gut. "You want me to break into the Chancellor's apartment _tonight_?"

Dooku's image stood below him in Sing's hand, but seemed to look down at him. "Is that such a daunting task? It's not as if you'll be alone. Miss Sing here will accompany you."

Her eyes had not left his the entire conversation, drilling into him with barely-chained malice.

"Somehow, I'm not comforted by that," he deadpanned. "More importantly, I don't have a functioning data pad with the mods I would need to slice into his system."

"Everything you need to accomplish your task will be provided to you, slicer."

_Great..._ His jaw tensed. "And what exactly is my _task_ going to be?"

"Revealed to you in the proper time." Dooku inclined his head. "Play nice, children." The hologram winked out, plunging the room into darkness.

Ashen fury bore down on him, veins in her hand bulging as she clenched the fistful of his shirt.

He pressed his molars together, and forced himself to meet her gaze head-on even as his heart pounded against his chest. "I think you can let go now."

Her eyes narrowed to slits, and her nostrils flared, hot breath chugging against his face.

He crushed the fear squeezing his throat like an invisible hand back down, refusing to look away.

Her pupils contracted to dagger points, but her fist slowly unclenched. "If you ever pull a stunt like that again—if you ever _touch_ me again, I'll kill you."

She released him with a rough shove, and he stumbled back, palm smacking into the wall and squeaking against the metal as he dug in to keep from falling over.

He shot her glare right back at her, and pulled himself up, grabbing the wrinkled fabric of his collar and pulling it straight with a tight snap. "Yeah. Funny thing I've learned these last few days: You can only be threatened with death so many times before it starts to lose some of its effect."

He brushed past her and out the door, not daring to look back.

He stopped in front of room twelve's threshold, and closed his eyes as a long, shaky breath escaped his trembling body. _Focus. Get through this. Don't think. __Don't let Barriss see you like this. Take the Bastard down. Make it worth it._

He breathed out one final breath, and nodded to himself, slapping the panel on the doorframe.

The metal hissed open, and an azure streak whipped around Barriss's lithe figure faster than he could track, blurring into a solid beam of light as it sliced a burning trail straight at him.

He stopped in his tracks, lips parting.

Wide, violet eyes locked with his, and she froze mid-swing, the searing blade slamming to a halt inches from his face, heat pouring from the glow like roiling, blue flames, barely restrained.

Her chest heaved with gasping breaths, and purple locks matted against her face as beads of sweat carved lines along her jaw, dripping off her chin before meeting their demise on the blade that scorched in her hands below, tiny puffs of smoke sizzling upward with each droplet.

His lips parted further, and a twinge in his heart prompted him to speak. "...Are you okay?"

She blinked as if she forgot he stood there, and jerked back, the roiling blade vanishing into the silver hilt like a flame blown out by the rush of a door opened too quickly.

She straightened herself and averted her gaze. "Yes. I'm fine." She swept her purple locks away from her flushed face, and then returned her gaze to him, glancing down at his shaking hands and furrowing her brow. "...Are _you_ okay?"

He swallowed, and rubbed his palms against his pantlegs. "Yeah. I'm fine."

Her eyes narrowed slightly, and he dug his palms hard into the seams of his pants, pressing them tight until the trembling faded away.

It did nothing to untangle the cords squeezing his heart.

END CHAPTER


	10. Chapter 10

OOO

Chapter Ten.

OOO

The screen of Dak's data pad was a blue ember in the darkness of the room, scrolling lines of code casting shards of light across Aiden's scrunched face as he sat forward on the couch, elbows resting on his knees as he gripped the device.

Barriss sat on the bed, the glow of the electronic flame in Aiden's hands reaching out and enveloping her in the edge of its cerulean haze as she watched him.

Since he had returned from Jax, he hadn't spoken a word beyond assuring her that he was fine.

She didn't need to be a Jedi to know the truth hiding behind _that_ lie.

Their bond flickered within her, and she chewed the inside of her cheek. Just one peek, and she would know exactly what he was thinking and feeling. She would know exactly what to say to him. How to bring it up. _If_ she should bring it up.

She wanted to.

She bit her cheek harder. But he didn't ask for this. He knew nothing about it. It would feel like she was violating him. Instead, she exhaled quietly, and pushed the flicker down, ignoring its beckoning whispers.

Aiden sighed, and glanced at her. "What?"

She blinked and flicked her gaze back up to him. "What?"

"You've been looking at me out of the corner of your eye, sighing, and then looking away again for the last hour. What is it?"

Her breath caught. Was she so transparent? Or was she only so to _him_?

He looked at her expectantly, the haggard stress-lines creasing his eyes emphasized in the glow of the screen.

No. She wasn't even ready to acknowledge their bond herself. How could she ask Aiden to accept something _she_ hadn't accepted yet? Her fingers fidgeted together. "It's late, Aiden. You've been hunched over that data pad for hours. I think you should get some rest, now."

It was true enough.

"Having something to focus on is helping me right now." He turned back to the data pad, tapping and swiping his finger across the display with more force than was probably necessary. "Besides. The sooner I get into this thing, the sooner I can get us out of here, and get you away from Jax."

She tilted her head. "I can handle Jax, Aiden. You don't need to worry about that."

"I know..." He sighed, and rubbed his forehead. "But you don't know him like I do. He's a creep, Barriss."

Guilt, and a protective desperation squeezed inside of her, and it took her a moment to realize it wasn't her own emotions she was feeling. She gasped, and slammed the bond closed again.

She hadn't noticed it slip open while they were talking.

He looked at her oddly. "...Are you okay?"

She averted her gaze, smoothing a non-existent wrinkle out of the front of her robes. "Yes." Aside from from her apparent total lack of discipline whenever it came to anything involving Aiden.

He cocked an eyebrow, and she pushed herself from the edge of the bed, grabbing the sheets and whipping them aside before climbing in and tucking herself under the covers. "You should get some sleep, Aiden."

"I will." He rubbed his neck, not meeting her eyes anymore. "Just... Not right now." He returned to the ember in his hands, tension in his jaw deepening the lines creasing his face.

Something twinged in her heart, and the flicker inside her rose up once more as if reaching out to her, begging her to reconsider.

She pushed the flicker back down amid the churning in her belly, and closed her eyes, exhaling slowly as she sunk down into the pillow. No. He wasn't ready for something like this. He already had enough to worry about with Jax. She would not add to his burden.

The churning in her stomach spoke more truthfully:

_I'm not ready._

OOO

Barriss turned over, her purple locks falling across her face like a veil shielding her from the world, and Aiden glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

Her chest rose and fell in slow, even breaths, and a strange quietness filled the room. She was already asleep. He wasn't sure _how_ he knew she was already asleep, he just... knew.

He glanced at the chrono on the wall. _1__0__:42_

Good. Maybe he'd actually get back before sunrise. Or what passed for it in the underworld.

He set Dak's data pad on the frayed leather beside him, and stood, scrubbing his face with his palms as if he could wash away the knot twisting his insides. _How did my life turn into this?_ He exhaled, and took a step toward the door. _Dooku__'s little secret-gatherer..._

The thought struck him like a slap across the face, and he froze mid-step, something flickering inside him. _"Your skills lie in the discovery of secrets, not assassination. It is in this way you will serve me."_ Dooku could play coy all he wanted about why he was sending Aiden to Palpatine's apartment, but there was only one reason he would send Aiden anywhere—Somewhere in Palpatine's loft, there was a piece of information behind a firewall that Dooku needed.

A piece of information that would help Dooku take down Palpatine.

A piece of information _Aiden_ could use to take down Palpatine...

The gears in Aiden's mind worked overtime. _"Everything you need to accomplish your task will be provided to you, slicer."_

Dooku would be giving him a data pad tonight... _One I'll have full access to..._ He glanced back at Dak's data pad, and a smirk slowly formed on his lips. _One I won't be locked out of..._

Something he wouldn't dare call hope sprouted inside him—a small spark in the looming dread weighing down on him like a heavy jacket he couldn't shake off. He grabbed the data pad off the couch, and popped out the memory chip, holding up the little, green square between his thumb and index finger.

Dooku wouldn't let him keep the data pad he would be using tonight, but if he got a big enough chunk of time... Maybe it wouldn't matter.

And when he finally cracked Dak's data pad... He might have what he needed to take Palpatine down and get Barriss her life back already at his fingertips.

His stomach fluttered as he turned the green square over in his hand, and the smirk on his lips grew. _Game on, you old geezer._ He slipped the chip up his sleeve—pockets were for rookies who had never been frisked before—and he blew out a breath, heading for the door and glancing at Barriss's sleeping form.

_Sleep well, Barriss._

He slipped out as quietly as he could, and stood in front of room eleven. He bit down on the bad taste in his mouth, and tapped his knuckles against the metal.

The door hissed at him as it slid away, and a living ghost filled the darkened portal, staring down at him with a faint smirk that didn't match the gleam in her eyes. "Princess went to bed early, huh? What, no fun and games first?"

His jaw tensed, and he met her smirk with as much steel as he could. "What can I say? I couldn't wait to see you again."

She slinked forward like velvet, but her eyes cut like razors. "Oh, darling..." She trailed a finger down his cheek. "You wouldn't survive me... You might not even survive _working_ with me..." She leaned down until her lips were cold whispers against his ear. "Remember that."

Her voice slithered through him, and his stomach twisted.

She coiled an arm around his shoulders, and this time, her smirk _did_ match the gleam in her eyes. "Shall we?" She pulled him along beside her and started walking, arm draped over him, hips swaying side to side as if every step was a claim of ownership.

He grit his teeth as she sashayed through the musky crowds and flashing lights of The Chance Lounge, pulling him tight against her the whole way, and he turned his head away until she was just a pale specter in the edge of his vision. _Never thought I'd voluntarily blind myself with neon.__.._

Jax stood at the head of the lounge, and their eyes locked.

Jax paused in wiping his glistening forehead, and looked between Aiden and Sing, settling on her ivory arm squeezing him against her lithe form. A slow smile spread across Jax' face, and his belly began jiggling as he raised his eyebrows at Aiden before shifting his gaze to Sing and raking his eyes over her body, his smile widening.

Sour bile rose in Aiden's stomach, and his throat clenched. _Oh, no..._

The flashing lights gave way to the fog of midnight, and Sing pulled him toward a plain airspeeder parked in the darkest corner of the night, untouched by the glow of the signs cutting the haze around them.

She pushed him into the passenger seat, and hopped behind the controls. "Better get comfortable, it's a long way to the surface and we're taking the scenic route."

He tugged at his sleeve, and avoided her gaze, locking his eyes on the green-bathed entrance of the cantina. "Yeah..."

As they lifted into the air, he couldn't shake the dread that settled in his gut as the look in Jax' eyes played in his mind. _Just get this done and get back before sunrise._ He could deal with anything else later.

He squeezed the cuff of his sleeve, the hard square of the memory chip digging into his palm through the fabric, and he released a steadying breath.

_Nothing ventured..._

OOO

The murky fog slowly gave way as they ascended through the neon maze that lit the underworld like dingy constellations, and eventually, the dank mist fell away to the clear of an uppercity night—Real constellations flickering above a horizon of stabbing spires.

500 Republica towered over them like a living monolith, each glowing window piercing the darkness like thousands of yellow eyes staring outward.

Watching.

Aiden swallowed as Sing angled them toward a small landing pad jutting from the top of the building, and his seat rumbled under him as they touched down.

She killed the engine, and grabbed a backpack from the rear passenger seat, shoving it into his chest. "Get moving and keep up, clock's ticking."

_No kidding._ He followed her out of the speeder, and cast a glance toward the Senate building in the distance.

A hologram as big as the building itself projected a larger-than-life image of Palpatine for all to see as he spoke finely-crafted words to the assembled masses, looking every bit the humble servant of the people he fronted himself to be.

_Because nothing says 'humility' like a skyscraper-sized image of yourself displayed over the city while you talk._ Aiden snorted, and Sing led him to an unremarkable section of the tower's outer wall.

She crouched down and pressed her ear against the metal, and slowly ran her fingers up and down a thin gap separating two sections of the building's durasteel paneling, her eyes closed as she trailed her touch in delicate patterns over the smooth surface.

He cocked an eyebrow. "Should I leave you and the wall alone?"

Her nostrils flared, and she jammed her fingernail into the gap.

A faint, metallic _chunk_ clanged behind the wall, and the panel swung open, revealing a hidden service-hatch that glowed red in the emergency lights springing to life in the newly exposed crawl-way.

She shot a glare at him and cranked the service hatch's lever, pulling it open. "Stay close, slicer. Wouldn't want anything to happen to ya while we're in there."

"Noted."

She gave him a faint smirk, and sank to her hands and knees, crawling through the portal. "Good, 'cause if I feel you staring at my ass the whole way, I'm throwing you off the roof after we're done."

He shook his head, and secured the pack on his shoulders, crawling after her into the blood-washed tunnel. "Don't worry, you're not my type." Had enough problems already without adding a fling with a bleached psycho to the mix.

She didn't look back as she moved in front of him. "Oh? Maybe you'd like me better if I was green?"

A hint of fire ignited in him, and his jaw tensed.

A soft, but cutting chuckle echoed through the crawl-space. "Aww. What? No smart reply?"

_She's __baiting you__, don't bite on it._ Instead, he bit down on the heat building inside him before it could form into words, and continued crawling behind her. "Nope." Silence was the smart reply in this instance.

Another chuckle grated his ears, and they came to a hatch embedded in the floor of the crawl-space. "How precious." She pulled one of the blasters on her hip from its holster, and twisted the hatch's lever. "I'd love to dig into this more, but we're silent from here on out until we're inside Palpatine's apartment, got it?"

He stared at the blaster, and the image of white armor scorched black by deadly fire flashed through his mind. "What, you gonna leave a trail of bodies behind like when you took me to Dooku that first night?"

"Not if the old man came through."

"What does that mean?"

She turned, and locked a side-long glare on him. "It means the person most likely to get shot tonight is you, if you don't shut up and do as I say. Savvy?"

He grit his teeth. "Yeah. I got it."

She pulled the hatch open, and dropped through the opening without another word.

The fire in his belly simmered, and he exhaled through his nose. _Just get through this and back to Barriss before she wakes up__._ He tugged his sleeve, feeling the square hidden inside.

And maybe get Barriss her life back in the process.

He blew out a decisive breath and nodded, gripping the edges of the hatch and lowering himself through the opening—cramped durasteel giving way to a deserted hallway stretching from one end of the tower to the other, the midnight city flickering like stars outside the massive windows running the length of the corridor.

Sing stood a short way down the hall in the pale glow of a luminator, and she jerked her head for him to follow before disappearing around a corner without so much as a glance back.

He hefted the backpack higher on his shoulder, and hurried to join her, glancing behind him for any uniforms as he caught up to her. _Where are the guards?_

A grand doorway appeared at the end of the hall, and Sing looked at him and gestured toward the panel on the doorframe before turning and aiming her blaster back down the hall, finger poised over the trigger as she stood ready.

_Right..._ He slid the pack off his shoulder, and opened it for the first time.

A heavily-modified Zenith series data pad sat amid a pile of cables and universal connectors.

His eyebrows rose and he grabbed the pad, turning it over in his hand. Dooku might be a geezer, but he knew a good data pad.

Sing's elbow jabbed hard into his arm, and he flinched, breaking out of his gawking. _Focus._ He shook his head, and examined the door panel, pulling the correct cable from the bag and attaching the data pad, forcing a hard connection.

Slicing a door was child's play if you knew how to do it. Electronic lock systems weren't to keep slicers out; they were to keep a slicer busy long enough for a security team to get to them—Which was why seeing no guards on the way here made him even more paranoid.

And why the feeling of eyes on him raised the hair on the back of his neck.

With a final tap of the screen, the pad chimed and the door panel flashed.

His lip curled. _score one for me._

Polished metal glided away, and Sing grabbed him by the arm and dragged him inside almost before he could detach the data pad from the panel. "Whoa!"

She released him roughly, and he stumbled on lush, crimson carpets as she slapped the inside door panel, the metal gliding shut behind them.

He caught his footing, and shot a glare at her. "You're just a ray of sunshine to work with, aren't you?"

She spared him no glance as she walked past him into the apartment, pulling her communicator from her belt. "I don't have time to baby you, the guards could be back any minute. So unless you want me to leave that trail of bodies you mentioned, I'd work faster if I were you."

He made a sound in his throat, and followed behind her out of the entrance hall and into the living room. "And why couldn't you just tell me that in the hall?"

She pressed a few buttons on the comm. "The video and audio receptors for the tower's security are on different systems. Video was taken out, audio wasn't."

"How—"

"Shut up." She pressed a final button, and the ghostly image of Dooku appeared in her hand. "We're in, Count."

A twitch of the mustache. "Excellent. Inside the main living room, you'll find a large portrait of a muun businessman that takes up most of the wall. Proceed to it."

Wasn't exactly hard to spot. A life-sized image of a long-faced alien staring at you with red eyes kinda stood out among paintings of landscapes. _I didn't even know muun _had_ red eyes..._ Aiden's gaze dropped from the unnerving crimson orbs that almost glowed in the dark room, and settled on the small table in front of the image.

A piece of carved stone in the center of the table held a vicious-looking dagger in its unforgiving cradle as if lifting it up to whoever would grasp it.

_Good to know Palpatine's taste in art is as creepy as he is._

"Yeah, we're in front of it, Count."

"Good," he said. "Now, take the dagger, and plunge it into the muun's heart."

_Uh... What?_ Aiden's face screwed up into the strangest expression he ever gave to another sentient being, and then leveled that expression straight at Dooku. "Um, first of all: Why? Second of all: Wouldn't that destroy the painting and let Palpatine know we were here? And third... _Why_?"

"It is not a painting. Now do as I say."

Even Sing raised an eyebrow at Dooku, but she took the dagger from its stone resting place, turned it over in her hand once, and then drove the blade straight into the muun's chest.

Rather than the sound of tearing canvas that Aiden was bracing himself for, the metallic whisper of steel sliding against steel rang out from behind the painting.

The image flickered once, and then fizzled out like a digital fire burning the image away. Flickering pixels dissolved away to reveal an access panel and multiple displays lighting up around the dagger that now stuck out of a perfectly-shaped slot in the wall, like a key in a safe's door.

Aiden's jaw dropped. "A hologram..." He stared at the display screens blinking to life, and shook his head. "Unbelievable." Bastard was even more paranoid than he thought.

Dooku was less impressed. "The Chancellor is an interesting man, is he not? This panel connects to a secret mainframe beneath this very tower that holds information vital to Palpatine's future success. _My_ future success."

Aiden still shook his head. "How do you _know_ all this?"

A twitch of the lip. "You do not become the leader of an army without learning a few secrets of your own."

_Apparently..._

"If you're finished gawking, I believe you know what you're here to do."

Aiden blew out a breath and wired the data pad to the access point. "What am I looking for?"

"You are not _looking_ for anything, you are collecting _everything_. Every file, every blueprint, every scrap of data will be copied to your data pad, and then you will hand the data pad over to Miss Sing." Dooku's holographic gaze cut into Aiden. "And you will leave no trace that you were ever here. Your life depends on it."

Aiden pressed his lips together. _Same as always, then._

"Work well, slicer." With that, his image winked out, leaving Aiden and Sing alone in the darkness.

She placed the communicator back on her belt. "Well, you heard him, slicer. Get to work."

He smothered the huff that built in his throat as he bullied through the surprisingly light encryption protecting the access panel. "Sure thing, _Miss Sing_."

She turned, and leveled a glare at him. "Don't call me that. Only the Count calls me Sing. My name is Aurra."

"Well, whatever your name is, I'd appreciate it if you didn't watch me while I work this time, it's distracting. I could feel your eyes on me the entire time I was working on Jax' machines yesterday and it was annoying as sith-spit."

Her brow pinched. "What are you talking about? I wasn't watching you yesterday."

_Huh?_ He looked at her sideways, and she stared back at him just as oddly. "Then who—"

Muffled voices carried through the front door of the apartment: _"I don't know, I guess it was a scheduling error, or something."_

His heart jumped, and Aurra whipped her head toward the door, fingers clamping around the handles of her blasters. _Not good._

"Stay here and get this thing done, slicer." She slid the blasters from their holsters and moved toward the door. "I'll make sure you have the privacy you need."

Ice prickled his veins and he shot a hand toward her. "No! Dooku said leave no trace we were here. I'm pretty sure _bodies_ are a pretty big trace."

"Then I suggest you work fast and get it done before they come in. Otherwise, one of the bodies getting left behind is _yours_."

She disappeared out of the living room into the entrance hall, and he lowered his arm back down, shooting daggers at her retreating form. _'__Get __it done'__..._

The memory chip in his sleeve dug into his wrist, and a hint of steel tinged his glare. _No problem._

He whipped back around to the data pad, and popped out the stock memory chip, placing it on the table next to the carved stone before slipping Dak's memory chip out of his sleeve and inserting it into the pad. _Here goes nothing..._

He tapped the display, and brought up the core directory.

[Transfer system contents to local device? Y/N]

_Please work..._ He tapped the 'Y'.

[Waiting... Waiting... Transfer initializing.]

The pad chimed, and 'Complete' flashed across the display.

His mouth split into a grin so wide, his cheeks hurt. _Score another one for us, Barriss. _He peeked over his shoulder for any sign of ghostly-white, and yanked the chip from the data pad, slipping it back up his sleeve like an ace in a back-room poker game.

Playing fair was overrated, anyway.

He snatched the stock memory card from the table, and put it back in the pad, running the transfer program again.

The muffled voices cut louder through the outside door: _"Wait a minute, the panel is unlocked. The Chancellor never leaves his door unlocked__ while he's gone__."_

The prickle of ice in his veins shot to his heart. _Crap!_ Why didn't he think to re-lock the door behind them?

A presence raised the hair on the back of his neck, and Aurra ran back into the living room, eyes flashing. "Get it moving, slicer. The clock on your life is ticking."

The pad chimed complete, and he yanked it from the access panel. "Done." He snatched the dagger out of the key-slot, and the muun business man with the freaky eyes re-materialized in the frame, red irises staring down at him.

_Why would someone _want_ that staring at them all day?_

Aurra grabbed the dagger from him and placed it back in the carved stone. "Finally." She clamped her fingers around his arm, and dragged him toward a shadowed alcove in the corner of the room flanked by two large vases standing like hulking protectors against any prying eyes.

Tingly pain lanced up his arm, and he winced against her grip. _Between Barriss and this psycho, it's a wonder my arm isn't just one big bruise._

The hiss of the front door opening slithered through the apartment, and he clutched his backpack tight as Aurra pressed him against the wall with her body. "Not a sound," she whispered.

_Really, I hadn't thought of that._ He resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

Two Senatorial guards appeared in the threshold of the entrance, sweeping their gaze across the room.

He chewed the inside of his cheek, and glanced at Aurra. Either she was gonna do something to get him out of this, or he was gonna find out if he could outrun blaster-fire.

Ghostly features focused like a predator on the guards, and her hand raised almost imperceptibly, a motion so subtle he would have missed it if he hadn't been looking right at her.

Through an open door on the other side of the living room, in what looked like a study, a holo-reader lifted from an ancient desk and then dropped back down again—a distinct _clack_ of the plaststeel casing striking the darkwood resounding through the apartment.

_What!_ His eyes widened, and he looked at her. _The bleached psycho is a Jedi?!_

The guards whipped their heads toward the noise, and moved into the study with weapons at the ready. "Who's there? Show yourself!"

They disappeared into the room, and Aurra yanked him out of the alcove, hissing in his ear: "Come on!"

Adrenaline-fueled fire swept away the ice in his veins and the questions in his mind, and he sprinted along behind her out the front door. _Please don't see us!_

Nothing but the pounding of his heart filled his ears as the luminators running along the walls passed by like blurry spotlights trying to expose them to any onlookers.

She dragged him around a familiar corner, and stopped below the still-open hatch in the ceiling.

Voices down the hall. _"I could have sworn I heard footsteps run out of the room."_

His gut clenched. "Whatever you're gonna do, do it fast, Aurra."

She scowled and pulled something from a utility pouch on her belt, attaching it to the barrel of her blaster before aiming through the hatch and squeezing the trigger roughly.

A suction-cup like device exploded out of the barrel and smacked into the roof of the service tunnel above their heads, sticking like glue and trailing a corded line from the cup down to the blaster. She pulled him tight against her, and pressed a button on the blaster.

A high-pitched whir spun inside the device, and they shot upward through the hatch.

His stomach dropped, and her arm clenched around him like a vice as his world blurred. _Whoa!_

Blood-washed durasteel surrounded them once more, and she shoved him off her as the voices grew louder: _"I think I heard it this way."_

His breath caught, and she pulled the access hatch shut, raising a finger to her lips as her eyes drilled into him with a clear message:

_Shut. Up._

Footsteps came to a stop directly below them, and he froze solid, not daring to breathe. _Please..._

The voices spoke. _"I don't see anything. Wasn't anything in the room, either. You're hearin' stuff."_

_"Yeah... I guess."_

Armored boot-steps faded away from the hatch, back toward Palpatine's apartment, and relief poured through him, draining the air from his lungs as he slumped against the tunnel wall.

_I got it, Barriss... I got it._ He tugged at his sleeve, the square inside digging into his thumb, and he couldn't help the slow smile that spread across his face as a chuckle escaped his throat. _It was worth it._

"This sort of thing is fun, isn't it?"

He blinked and looked at her.

A smirk tilted her pale lips. "Maybe there's hope for you yet, slicer." She crawled past him toward the roof-exit hatch. "Come on, Dooku's waiting."

He lifted a brow and followed behind her. "What, no taunt or threat this time?"

"Don't tempt me."

A smirk teased his own lips as they spilled back onto the roof, inky black still firmly coating the night sky—not a hint of dawn anywhere among the flickering specks. _I just may get back in time, after all._

They climbed into the airspeeder, and it rumbled to life under them, pulling away from the platform as Aurra swung the nose around and shoved the accelerator forward, and Aiden bit his cheek to keep from outright smiling as the monolithic silhouette of 500 Republica disappeared behind them.

_Things are finally going my way, for once._

OOO

Her insides twisted. _Sleep well, Barriss._

Fire surged in her belly. _She's baiting you. Don't bite on it._

Icy tendrils coiled her heart. _Please..._

Her heart lifted. _Things are finally going my way__,__ for once._

Barriss flinched awake, eyes flying open as she gasped. Swirling emotions roiled inside her, battering against each other, fighting for dominance in a hurricane of conflicting feelings. Regret. Anger. Fear. Hope. Desire.

_Aiden!_ She sucked in a sharp breath and slammed the bond closed. How had it opened while she slept? She shot up to a sitting position, the twisted and tangled bed sheets falling away from her body, and she peered through the darkness toward the couch. "Aiden, are you okay?"

Dak's data pad teetered on the edge of the frayed leather. Aiden was nowhere to be seen.

Her brow pinched, and she glanced at the door to the fresher, pushing the bed sheets away and swinging her legs over the side of the bed, walking slowly across the room. "Aiden?"

Silence.

Wisps of fear crept up her spine, and she hesitated, tentatively peeking her head in. "Aiden, are you in there?"

The darkness of an empty fresher greeted her.

Her heart fluttered, and an unease she couldn't explain sprouted in her gut as their bond flickered inside her. _Aiden, where are you?_

She hurried over to the nightstand by the bed and snatched her lightsaber, tucking it under her cloak and pulling her hood over her purple locks before slapping the door-panel and rushing out of the room before the metal had even finished sliding away.

If Aiden was in trouble, she needed to find him.

She raced down the hall as quickly as she could without drawing attention to herself, and scanned the hustling crowds of the Chance Lounge frantically for a familiar set of blue eyes. _Focus_. _Calm yourself, and focus. _

"Well hello, there."

Her heart jumped, and she whipped around, hand slipping under her cloak and grasping her saber-hilt.

Jax raised his hands in mock-surrender, and a faint smirk pulled at his cheeks. "Whoa there. I like em' feisty, but there's no need to start things off at full-tilt."

His gaze swept over her body, and vile disgust rose in her chest, wrinkling the diamonds on her nose. "Have you seen Aiden?"

Something played behind his eyes as he looked at her, and he took a step toward her, his smirk growing. "Yeah, I saw him... And I wasn't the only one."

Her jaw tensed, but she stood her ground, refusing to back away from the slime. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, one of the most exotic pieces I've ever seen dragged him outta here a few hours ago. Practically draped herself over him right here in front of everyone."

Her lips parted, and her brow scrunched. "What?" Aiden wouldn't do something like that... He wasn't _like_ that...

"I personally think it's great the two of you keep things so open." He leaned in and brushed a finger down the edge of her hood, the tip of his finger grazing her cheek like a lover's tickle. "I admire a woman who doesn't mind a little competition."

The feel of his skin on hers sent waves of revulsion crashing through her, washing away all other thoughts as they coalesced in her belly like fire, and before she knew what she was doing, she clamped her hand around his finger, and wrenched it hard.

A wet _crack_ popped inside his hand, and his eyes flew open wide. "Agh!" He cried out as his legs collapsed under him, knees smacking into the sticky floor as he hissed through clenched teeth. "You schutta!"

Steely, violet orbs locked onto glazed, bloodshot ones. "Don't. _Ever_. Touch me. Again."

He chugged heavy breaths and grit his teeth, but roiling anger cut his trembling gaze.

She released his finger as if throwing away a piece of garbage, and he fell back, cradling his hand into his torso and scrambling backward.

A few beings stopped and stared, whispers passing between them.

She flicked her gaze over the crowd, and then spun around, pulling her hood tight against the murmurs sweeping through the lounge and marching back to the room, stomach still churning. She wanted to believe Jax was simply lying in order to con her into his bed, but somehow she didn't think so.

Her bond with Aiden flickered inside her, but she pushed it back down. If he was currently... occupied, she didn't want to experience first hand whatever he was doing.

Her mouth pulled into a frown as the room door shut behind her, leaving the whispered murmurs of the crowd outside to be forgotten. She looked at the empty couch, and chewed the inside of her cheek as she tried also to leave the imaginations of Aiden with another woman to be forgotten.

She was partially successful.

OOO

Aurra landed the airspeeder outside the cantina, just outside the reach of the green glow lighting the entrance, and killed the engine.

Aiden laid his head back on the seat and blew out a breath, running his fingers through his hair. _Glad _this_ night is over..._

A skeletal hand reached toward him. "This is the part where you hand over the data pad, slicer."

He snorted and dropped the pad into her waiting palm. "Sure thing, Miss Jedi-for-hire."

The data pad clattered onto the console between them, and the cold barrel of a blaster jammed into his throat before he saw her move, jabbing hard until his breath caught. "Don't _ever_ call me that." Her pupils contracted to dagger points. "Got it?"

He swallowed against the deadly metal, and nodded as much as he dared move. "Bad memories, got it. Won't bring it up again."

Her eyes narrowed to slits, but the metal left his neck.

_And I though _I_ had baggage..._ He exhaled slowly, and squeezed his wrist. "Well, as much as I enjoy your company—"

Barriss's voice echoed in his mind like an alarmed shout: _Aiden__!_

His heart jumped, and he whipped around in his seat, expecting to see a familiar cloak billowing toward him. "Barri—"

Empty shadows greeted him, and he blinked, brows furrowing as he glanced around for any flash of diamond-inked green. _Barriss?_

"What?" Aurra said. "What's wrong with you now?"

_Good question..._ "I thought..." He shook his head. "Nothing. It was nothing, I guess." Just hearing things that weren't there, apparently.

She gave him a strange look, and he hopped out of the speeder, squeezing his wrist once more. "Well, it's been almost twenty-four hours for me; I'm gonna go collapse into blessed unconsciousness—I'd appreciate it if you didn't parade me across the lounge on the way back to the rooms this time."

She smirked and held up the data pad. "Sorry to disappoint, but I have a delivery to make. Our friend doesn't like to be kept waiting."

He tilted his head. "No rest, first?"

"I don't sleep."

He stared at her, and she stared right back, not a hint of irony in her gaze.

"Suddenly, your permanent bad mood makes sense."

She rolled her eyes and tossed the data pad into the passenger seat, starting the engine again. "Have fun with your little Jedi princess while you can, slicer. At this rate, you'll say something that'll make me have to kill you before the end of the week."

The speeder lifted away from the cantina, and he watched her disappear into the murky haze, thumbing the square in his sleeve as a smirk of his own grew on his lips. _I have a delivery to make, too._

He hurried under the green glow of the entrance and through the crowds of the Chance Lounge, ignoring the sight of Jax scurrying into his office cradling his hand, and he came to room twelve.

He released a steadying breath, and nodded. _Don't think._ _Don't wake Barriss._ _She can't know you got the information._ When he finally cracked Dak's data pad, he could pin the reason for Palpatine's files already being on the memory chip as Dak having done a little slicing of his own before he died.

Aiden's cheeks pulled into a grin, and he pressed the panel on the door frame.

The door slid open, and Barriss stood under the dim glow of a luminator, her head lowered as she rubbed her forehead.

He froze and sucked in a breath. _Crap!_

She flinched, and her head shot up, violet eyes locking with his.

_Not good._ "...Hey, Barriss... What are you doing up?" Why, oh why did she have to be up?

She crossed her arms, and a strange look entered her eyes that he had never seen in her before. "I could ask you the same thing."

_Sith-spit._ He rubbed the back of his neck. "I was just..." _Can't lie._

She raised a brow at him, waiting for him to continue.

He looked into her pools of violet, and something in him drained. He deflated, and his hand fell from his neck. "I was... out with a woman I know. She stays in one of the rooms here." A completely true statement.

He didn't know why it left such a bad taste in his mouth.

She looked away, and the edge of her hood hid her eyes from him. "I see." She smoothed out the front of her cloak before returning her gaze to him. "And did you get what you were looking for?"

The memory chip dug into his wrist, and his stomach tightened even as he knew there was only one answer he could give. _Blast it, Barriss..._

The skin around his eyes crinkled, and he swallowed. "Yes."

The violet staring back at him seemed to dull slightly, and she nodded. "I see." Her voice was a quiet whisper in the darkness. "Then I'm glad the night turned out well for you, Aiden." Midnight fabric hid her eyes from him once more, and she walked over to the bed.

A sour knot twisted inside him, and something prompted him to speak. "Look, Barriss, I—"

"It's fine, Aiden. It's really none of my business if you want to involve yourself with someone. I just thought..." A sigh escaped her, and she shook her head, placing her saber on the nightstand. "I don't know what I thought. But you put both of us in danger going out by yourself tonight. Especially without telling me. You should have cared enough about _both_ of us to consider that."

He took a step toward her. "I do care about you, Barriss."

"Yes, I can see that." She glanced at his wrinkled clothing and disheveled hair. "You should take a shower before you lie down. Cantina girls aren't known for being clean."

"Barriss—"

"Goodnight, Aiden." She climbed under the sheets and turned away from him, and heavy silence fell upon the room.

A whisper of that horrible feeling from the shuttle cockpit passed through him, and he grit his teeth. He ran a hand through his hair, fixing a tired gaze on Dak's data pad as it teetered on the edge of a frayed couch-cushion, and a long, slow sigh drained out of him.

_Blast it..._

OOO

Palpatine glided through the halls of the Senate building, silk robes swishing across the crimson carpets, and a faint smile resting on his face as the roar of countless pairs of hands applauding him echoed in his mind.

Quite an enjoyable evening, indeed.

The doors to his personal office parted before him as if bowing to the rightful king, and he stepped into the darkness of his sanctuary. _Perhaps I should address the Senate more often._

A presence shifted behind him, and his heart quickened for the first time in many years. He pivoted toward the presence, and a lithe figure hidden under the brim of an over-large hat stepped out of the shadows.

Palpatine narrowed his eyes. "Bane..."

A rough, blue hand reached up and tugged the brim of the hat, a nasally rasp grating through the space. "Palpatine."

"You are either very brave, or very foolish to show yourself to me after failing to remove the slicer. You know what happens to employees who disappoint me."

"I don't leave jobs unfinished." He readjusted the hat on his head. "Besides, hearin' your little speech has got me feelin' patriotic, and I feel it's my civic duty to report what I've seen. Ya see, I witnessed a crime tonight."

Palpatine's eyes narrowed further. "Then I would suggest going to the police."

"Oh, trust me..." Pale blue lips pulled back over razor-sharp teeth as he held up a miniature holo-projector, and a still image of Aiden Stari, Aurra Sing, and a ghostly hologram of Count Dooku standing inside a familiar 500 Republica apartment appeared in his hand.

"You don't want me goin' to the police with this..."

The image burned into Palpatine's rapidly-yellowing eyes, and his lip curled into a sneer as a slow-burning anger began boiling inside him, irises of lava shifting from Aiden, and settling on the self-satisfied image of Count Dooku waving a hand toward the portrait of Darth Plagueis.

_Foolish, my apprentice_...

_Very foolish._

END CHAPTER

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Thanks for reading!


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